Belated Thanksgiving
Right now I am listening to Christmas music for the first time this season. A few minutes ago as I was taking a shower, however, I started thinking about Thanksgiving and I realized that since it is one of my very favorite holidays, I didn't really want to let it slip by without getting to celebrate at all. So, I decided to make a post listing some things that I am thankful for. Obviously some of these things are more important than others and furthermore some are things that I am always thankful for and others are things that I am thankful for specifically right now during my time as a temporary Parisian, but this list isn't meant to indicate any sort of hierarchy of thankfulness. I just typed it pretty much in the order that things came to mind.
1. My amazing family and friends (both of whom I have never in my whole life appreciated as much as I do now being so far away from everyone)
2. The fact that I think my relationship with my Dad got somewhat better this year
3. The fact that my nephew Thomas is seemingly growing up to become an intelligent cool kid (I can't believe he is 5 now!)
4. The moment right before you kiss someone for the first time
5. Actually sexual tension in general
6. And, more wonderfully, kissing in general
7. Beautiful boys on the metro
8. Cute purple vegetables (carrots, cauliflower, potatoes, etc)
9. Blueberries and blueberry-related products
10. My 20% Whole Foods Market discount (not that I have used it in months, but still...)
11. The fact that I have now been vegetarian for well over a year and a half and have never really wanted to eat meat since I quit
12. Music and related things i.e. going to shows, how hearing just the right song at the right time can make everything better, singing in large groups w/o people wasting time being self-conscious about how they sound, the communal cozy feeling of laying in a dark room with people you care about listening to old records, mix cds, how hot boys with guitars (and other cute instruments) are, how beautiful musical instruments themselves usually are, etc.
13. And also related DANCING!!! especially dancing under the stars and being awed by nature, or dancing with my favorite people and being overwhelmed by how much I love them, or dancing to Stone Soup and being overwhelmed by a sense of connectivity and togetherness, or dancing around my room naked and momentarily completely forgetting to be self-conscious about or critical of my physical appearance
14. Naked Potluck Club and the fact that I will probably get to be in a Naked Dance in Spring Dance Tutorial
15. Just generally the fact that I decided to go to New College and not somewhere else
16. The fact that I am actually starting to have thesis ideas
17. Skirts that twirl when you spin
18. Playing dressup...and the fact that going to New College lets me do it way more than any normal college age girl
19. The fact that most of my favorite memories of college have occurred when I was completely sober (although of course there are some wonderful ones when I wasn't too)
20. Muffins and how their tops and bottoms are so different in texture
21. Children's books
22. Non-children's books
23. Idealistic people, Optimistic People, People who think the world is beautiful most of the time
24. Language and how amazingly powerful and beautiful it can be
25. Cute surprises
26. Cute boys on the metro
27. Getting to live somewhere where I can use public transportation or my own legs all the time instead of a car
28. The cultural perks of living in Paris i.e. living in arguably the cinema capital of the world, getting to go to more and better shows than I could in Florida without having to drive anywhere, etc.
29. The fact that my parents are visiting for Christmas
30. Paper snowflakes
31. Running around barefoot
32. Tanktops, short skirts, and flipflops
33. The beach at night
34. The stars and the fact that when you look out into space you can travel through time
35. Sunsets
36. The bayfront
37. The fact that my French actually is getting better lately
38. The opportunity to live in a foreign country
39. The opportunity to visit other foreign countries while living in a foreign country
40. Scarves because they are beautiful and keep your neck warm
41. Moments of inexplicable euphoria
42. Skipping (as in the means of locomotion, not as is failling to do stuff you are supposed to do)
43. Cute green things
44. Colors in general actually
45. Pretty lacy things
46. The internet (I know it's lame, but I really do love it)
47. My digital camera
48. All of the photos I have taken over the last few years that keep me from forgetting my life
49. The fact that the landscape of the earth is so varied and that pretty much everywhere you can travel in the world looks slightly different
50. Parks and Gardens and other urban green spaces
51. Scrabble
52. The sense of accomplishment when you have just cooked something for first time and it turns out perfectly
53. Sharing food with other people in general
54. How around the holidays everything either smells all cinnamony or evergreeny
55. Earth's amazing biodiversity
56. How almost everything in Paris is so inexplicably aesthetically pleasing
I guess I will stop there, although I could continue pretty much ad infinitum.
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and I wish you a joyous start to the holiday season!
1. My amazing family and friends (both of whom I have never in my whole life appreciated as much as I do now being so far away from everyone)
2. The fact that I think my relationship with my Dad got somewhat better this year
3. The fact that my nephew Thomas is seemingly growing up to become an intelligent cool kid (I can't believe he is 5 now!)
4. The moment right before you kiss someone for the first time
5. Actually sexual tension in general
6. And, more wonderfully, kissing in general
7. Beautiful boys on the metro
8. Cute purple vegetables (carrots, cauliflower, potatoes, etc)
9. Blueberries and blueberry-related products
10. My 20% Whole Foods Market discount (not that I have used it in months, but still...)
11. The fact that I have now been vegetarian for well over a year and a half and have never really wanted to eat meat since I quit
12. Music and related things i.e. going to shows, how hearing just the right song at the right time can make everything better, singing in large groups w/o people wasting time being self-conscious about how they sound, the communal cozy feeling of laying in a dark room with people you care about listening to old records, mix cds, how hot boys with guitars (and other cute instruments) are, how beautiful musical instruments themselves usually are, etc.
13. And also related DANCING!!! especially dancing under the stars and being awed by nature, or dancing with my favorite people and being overwhelmed by how much I love them, or dancing to Stone Soup and being overwhelmed by a sense of connectivity and togetherness, or dancing around my room naked and momentarily completely forgetting to be self-conscious about or critical of my physical appearance
14. Naked Potluck Club and the fact that I will probably get to be in a Naked Dance in Spring Dance Tutorial
15. Just generally the fact that I decided to go to New College and not somewhere else
16. The fact that I am actually starting to have thesis ideas
17. Skirts that twirl when you spin
18. Playing dressup...and the fact that going to New College lets me do it way more than any normal college age girl
19. The fact that most of my favorite memories of college have occurred when I was completely sober (although of course there are some wonderful ones when I wasn't too)
20. Muffins and how their tops and bottoms are so different in texture
21. Children's books
22. Non-children's books
23. Idealistic people, Optimistic People, People who think the world is beautiful most of the time
24. Language and how amazingly powerful and beautiful it can be
25. Cute surprises
26. Cute boys on the metro
27. Getting to live somewhere where I can use public transportation or my own legs all the time instead of a car
28. The cultural perks of living in Paris i.e. living in arguably the cinema capital of the world, getting to go to more and better shows than I could in Florida without having to drive anywhere, etc.
29. The fact that my parents are visiting for Christmas
30. Paper snowflakes
31. Running around barefoot
32. Tanktops, short skirts, and flipflops
33. The beach at night
34. The stars and the fact that when you look out into space you can travel through time
35. Sunsets
36. The bayfront
37. The fact that my French actually is getting better lately
38. The opportunity to live in a foreign country
39. The opportunity to visit other foreign countries while living in a foreign country
40. Scarves because they are beautiful and keep your neck warm
41. Moments of inexplicable euphoria
42. Skipping (as in the means of locomotion, not as is failling to do stuff you are supposed to do)
43. Cute green things
44. Colors in general actually
45. Pretty lacy things
46. The internet (I know it's lame, but I really do love it)
47. My digital camera
48. All of the photos I have taken over the last few years that keep me from forgetting my life
49. The fact that the landscape of the earth is so varied and that pretty much everywhere you can travel in the world looks slightly different
50. Parks and Gardens and other urban green spaces
51. Scrabble
52. The sense of accomplishment when you have just cooked something for first time and it turns out perfectly
53. Sharing food with other people in general
54. How around the holidays everything either smells all cinnamony or evergreeny
55. Earth's amazing biodiversity
56. How almost everything in Paris is so inexplicably aesthetically pleasing
I guess I will stop there, although I could continue pretty much ad infinitum.
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and I wish you a joyous start to the holiday season!