Everybody else is writing about it, talking about it and thinking about it.
It’s what they are thankful for, and I want to share what I am thankful for, because there are many things.

First and foremost (and I’m sure it’s on everyone’s list…or at least it should be) is family. I’ve always been thankful to have a loving family–my mom, my stepdad, my brother, my grandpa and all my aunts, uncles and cousins. It’s always been nice having family close by. I also have family in other states, such as Connecticut, Tennessee and Georgia, that mean a lot to me, and it’s nice to go visit them or have us visit them when we can. It may not be too often, but when I do get to see them, I enjoy every minute.
I also was thankful to have family when my grandmother passed away in July. She was one of the close family members that I had. She lived right next door and I would visit her as often as possible. She was a strong lady and a true inspiration to me. Knowing the kind of person she was and having family around after she passed away helped me get through things. I still miss her so very much, but knowing I, along with my mom, grandpa and other close family, had support from other family helped tremendously. I’m forever thankful for that.

Secondly, I am thankful to have the friends I do. That’s something that’s also probably–and should be–on everyone’s list. Everyone has friends. It doesn’t matter how many you have, but that you do have them. For that, you should be thankful. They, like family, are there to support you in a lot of things you do. How can you not be thankful for that?
Some people, like me, consider many of their family members their friends, too. So that definitely makes me thankful.

Thirdly, I am thankful to have a job. Amidst the economic downturn and struggles, everyone that has a job should be thankful. It took me about 10 months to find the job I have now, and through that time, I was unemployed. But now that I’ve been on the job for nearly a year and a half, I’m definitely keeping it for as long as I can. I don’t want to be put in the situation of quitting a job and trying to find another one. I don’t recommend you do that, but I know sometimes it just happens and it’s out of your control. If you are unemployed, I can only wish you the best in your search for the right job that suits you and that you like going to every day. It can be tough, and I’ve heard recently that unemployment levels are high. That’s too bad to hear, but it doesn’t surprise me with all the struggles everyone is going through. I enjoy my job and I’m going to keep doing it to the best of my ability.

Fourthly, I am thankful for the hobbies I enjoy, like music, exercising and sports. Music is a true escape, and it’s always something I want to surround myself with. I’m not a musician and I don’t sing. I didn’t mean that kind of music. I enjoy listening to it, and also going to concerts to hear and see it live. That’s a totally different thing. It doesn’t require me to sing, and for that, you should be thankful. I’m thankful to have a mother and a brother who go to these concerts with me. And there was that one concert I went to with a couple people from work, and that was definitely fun, too. But sometimes, it’s hard to get people from work together because of schedules and everything. When we do get the chance, I’m sure we’ll do it again.

With exercising, I know I don’t do it as often as I should. But I do enjoy walking and running, although I can’t run that fast. It’s not like I run a mile a day or anything. I don’t even want to think about that. Just enough to get the blood pumping, and hopefully get some weight off. I will say that’s not working out too well. When you go eat Mexican food and then go home and watch “The Biggest Loser,” that may be a bit of a contradiction, but hey, that’s just what happens sometimes. Losing weight is still a goal of mine.

And with sports, I have my brother to thank for sparking this interest. I’ve always liked basketball, and my favorite teams are the Indiana Pacers and the Connecticut Huskies, although I follow the Pacers a little better than the Huskies. I really like going to Pacers games when I get the chance, but I will say it’s just not the same without Reggie Miller.
A couple years ago, my brother got me into football. Up to that point, I had no clue about how football was played or anything. Now, I really understand it. Granted, there are still some things I don’t know, because there is a lot to know, and it’s a learning process. What’s really good is having the chance to go see Indianapolis Colts games. I enjoyed the several games I saw in the RCA Dome, but it’s no longer there. Now, there’s the brand new Lucas Oil Stadium. And if you ever saw a game in the Dome and haven’t been in the new stadium, you are in for a treat. This new place is unbelievable (in a good way), and it’s absolutely amazing. I will say that, with Lucas Oil and Conseco Fieldhouse both in Indianapolis, fans should be proud because they are two of the elite stadiums in the country, in my opinion.

I know there are probably other things I’m forgetting to mention, but I have already mentioned a lot. These were the first things that came to my mind, and to me, these things are really important. They help me along through every day, they have made a difference in my life and for all of these things, I truly am thankful.
I hope you have taken the time to think about what you are thankful for. I know you are probably busy, but I ask you to take some time to think about it. If it helps, write it down or type it out like I did. But just so you at least think about what you are thankful for, the effort will be well worth it. It doesn’t take that much time, and believe me, it will give you a good feeling inside.

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.