"For every breath, for every day of living, this is my Thanksgiving"

So, it’s that time of year again – a time to be fat and thankful. And while I believe we should be thankful every day all year long, it’s nice to have a lovely four-day weekend devoted to reflecting upon all the things I’m thankful for (it’s a big list). Like: wine, vodka, my Amazon Prime membership, the color pink, and high heels. Okay, just kidding (sort of).

Honestly, I truly have so much to be sincerely grateful for this year:

1)      At this particular moment, pedicures (I just had one on my lunch break). My toes are a beautiful, confectionary pale pink. And who isn’t thankful for those magnificent massage chairs?!

2)      I’m thankful for my family. Some of my family is biological, but they’re really the minority. There are, of course, my Alpha Phi sisters. And then there are those people who come into your life and live in your heart in a forever kind of way – you could swear you didn’t understand life without them until they were finally there.

Me and my Daddy

My twinny, Kim

"The Harem"

Me and Whitney

Me and my best friend, Andrea

Some of my Alpha Phi family at Formal, 2009

3)      I’m thankful for getting fired last February. No, seriously. If that had never happened, I never would have finally taken that much-needed vacation to Costa Rica and, more importantly, I never would have landed the incredible job I have now, which practically seemed to fall right into my lap. My colleagues – many of them my friends – are my family, too. Every morning, I’m thankful to come to an office where I feel at home, where my work is appreciated, where I have a really nice (!) boss, where I spend far more time laughing and smiling than being stressed out; in fact, I don’t remember the last time I was seriously stressed the eff out at work. I’m thankful for no longer being a nervous wreck in a vicious downward spiral like I was this time a year ago. I’m thankful for being in an environment that’s allowed me to become a confident, independent woman who is truly coming into her own. I’m thankful for making a difference every day.

With my colleague, Dax, at happy hour

4)       I’m thankful for my health. A few weeks ago, I finally mustered the courage to have the annual physical I hadn’t had in, oops, years and faced all my fears of high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and God only knows what else. I had completely given in to the dark, amorphous monsters of my fears of the unknown. After receiving the results of my full work-up in the mail last week, I couldn’t have gotten better news: a totally clean bill of health. And, as it’s said in one of my favorite books, The Girls’ Guide to Hunting and Fishing, “I realized a healthy body is a beautiful body.”

5)      I’m thankful for learning to accept myself for who I am – physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Please forgive the cliché, but it’s been a long, winding road. “Her bare feet seem to be saying: We have come so far, it is over,” Sylvia Plath wrote in her poem, “Edge.” It isn’t over. Actually, I don’t know if it will ever truly be over. But I am thankful for finally enjoying chocolate without incessantly worrying about it at the same time and I’m thankful for allowing myself to cry shamelessly, even if it’s at a commercial on TV. (No, really – this has happened. On two separate occasions.)

6)      I’m thankful for all of the lessons I’ve learned this year, even – no, especially – the hard ones. I’ve been confronted with messy situations in every arena of my life: love, family, work, friendship, my finances, and so on. But I’ve come out of every situation stronger, wiser, more independent, and more complete. I know I have so much more to learn, that I will never know the answers to everything, but at least I’ve learned how to “live the questions,” as Rilke advised.

For every thing I’m thankful for, I could list at least another ten. So, instead of writing a post that’s longer than War and Peace, I’ll leave you with something a colleague kindly shared with me:

The Gratitude Mantra

I am grateful for this day...for this one unique day like no other. Life is the most divine gift of all. May I be fully aware in this moment, witnessing the infinite acts of beauty, of the earth, and of love. May I be humbled by my blessings, fearless in my potential, and generous with my heart.

xoxo,

Elizabeth Alida