Thankful

It seems like this year it's all the rage to fill people's Facebook and Twitter feeds with things we're grateful about, and on this fine Thanksgiving morning I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon. So while I kill time while the pies bake, I thought I'd make a list of some of the things I'm thankful for.

1. My family. To quote Lilo & Stitch, "This is my family. I found it, all on my own. Is little, and broken, but still good. Yeah, still good." This is definitely the most cliched thing people are thankful for, but I am so incredibly thankful for mine. It's effectively a 10 member group and then myself, and 4 of those members are in Austria (one of whom doesn't speak English) and who we only met about 7 years ago. It's kind of overselling it, just calling my family small, but we're a close group, and I love them all dearly. I can honestly say I would lay down my life for all 10 of those people, and I would do so without hesitation. So yeah, I'm thankful for my family. Those weirdos are awesome.
2. My friends. Again, cliched, but friendship is probably the most valuable thing in the world. Real friendships take work, even the ones that seem effortless; those friendships where you an go without speaking for months or even years, but then pick up like no time has passed, even those take work. I recently had the chance to spend time with a friend like that and it was so wonderful to see how easy it is to fall back into old patterns. Here in UT I've been blessed with a couple of great groups of new friends. Not all friendships/relationships work out, and that can be emotionally trying, but dealing with things like that can both show you who your true friends are along with giving you a chance to make new ones. So to all those people in my life, I'm incredibly thankful for you and all that you do for me, even when you don't know you're doing anything. You guys kinda rock.
3. Skiing. You should have known this one was coming; I'm insanely, unerringly, transcendentally thankful to the crazy SOBs that decided to strap two planks of wood to their feet and barrel down snow-covered slopes. I don't know who I'd be without it, since it has wormed its way so completely into my soul. For who it's helped me become, I am unspeakably thankful for skiing.
4. Me. Okay, so this may seem weird and conceited, but hear me out. What I mean is that I am thankful for my ability to stay true to myself, no matter what. I can't take full credit for this, and it ties back to 1 and 2. I have people in my life who, even when I was tat weird anti-social goth kid in high school, accepted and even liked me for who I was. I never felt pressure to change myself and mold into what society calls a norm. I was able to maintain my individuality; I am able to still be a science nerd, pop-culture geek, skier, musician who likes getting glammed up as much as chilling in yoga pants all day. I am me, and I am thankful for the fact that I am able to be that.
5. Freedom. No this isn't a 'Merica entry in this list. I'm thankful for all of the little freedoms life allows everyone in the developed world. Sure, voting and all that jazz is pretty great, but I mean the smaller freedoms. Many people let the pressures of society as a whole, and those from their friends and family, dictate how they live their lives. Going through my crisis of faith after getting rejected from med school I made the decision to elect for happiness. I don't make decisions based on what others want me to do, but on what will make me happy. I know plenty of people who would be so much happier if they didn't let other people dictate their lives, even peripherally. 

So for these and all the little things, like puppies and rainstorms and camping, I am incredibly thankful for the life that has been dealt to me. I'm going to keep searching for the steeper side and being thankful for every day I get to do so.