Things I'm Thankful For

Michael has just gone to bed. I'm waiting up for friends who are having a longer drive than I think they expected. We will celebrate Thanksgiving tomorrow with Crescent City friends and an old friend from King Salmon. Darcy is sound asleep. The house is warm. I'm typing this on our new computer that is, at least for now, replacing the two that were stolen last week.

I have a job. Michael has a job. We have excellent health insurance, two working vehicles, and a house that is slowly, but surely becoming the house we want it to be. Sort of. 

Darcy loves school and learns something every day. When I ask her how her day was when I pick her up, she says, "Great!" When I ask what her favorite part of the day was, she says, "Everything!" She is healthy and happy. She reads and writes and counts and plays. She has a new favorite fairy and has insisted on blue clothes for three days now to honor that fairy.

We live in an incredibly beautiful place. Any day we want, we can see the Pacific Ocean and the beautiful rocky coastline. We can see the tallest trees in the world in their fern and moss world. It rains. A lot. And that's what makes the redwoods spectacular and our rivers clean and clear.

My work is busy. My hours were cut in the first real expression of the recession in our household. In 32 hours each week, I try to cram the same amount of work I used to do in 40. But every day, I do something that helps people and that lets me think about and write about food and agriculture and gardening. And in those extra eight hours I have outside of work each week, I manage to get our yard a little tamer, cook a good soup, work on our house, and just generally get a bit more living done.

I am getting to go to New York for Christmas for the first time in three years. I hope to catch up with good friends I haven't seen in too long. I will get to see my extended family. I will visit Ashokan and see in person the huge, but positive changes that have been happening since my last visit.

Michael will be Willy Wonka in March. Every day, we will watch Darcy learn more, do more, and become her own even more interesting self. I will get to help several communities figure out how they most want to improve their food system and find ways for them to achieve some of their dreams.

I have many, many reasons to be thankful. Given the current state of our national economy, just having a job, a house, and health insurance is a wonderful place to be in and we have so much more. I have a most amazing husband and a daughter who leaves me in awe at her talents. Every one of my days start and end with kisses and hugs from them. I am incredibly lucky and I am grateful.

It is now after midnight. It is the 24th day of November and of NaBloPoMo. It is also Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving to you all!