Thanksgiving – an entire day dedicated to expressing our gratitude for our blessings in life. I believe in the whole “it’s not happy people who are grateful but grateful people who are happy” saying. I try to thank God for my blessings every day.
What are you thankful for today? My top blessings are always God, family, and friends. But this year I have three unusual ones that come to mind:
- Time travel
My son Jacob and his girlfriend moved to Bloomington last summer. No, they’re not students, just young adults who love the city and community down there.
I went to IU, so I’ve been thrilled about visiting them. Walking on and near campus takes me back to my college days, which I loved.
What’s also fun is that they moved into Fountain Park Apartments – the same ones I lived in with my good friend Cynthia my senior year of college. And guess what? Jacob and Alyssa’s apartment looks almost the same as mine from 30-plus years ago! They live in the section that hasn’t been extensively remodeled.
Doors, trim, shelves, kitchen cabinets, and even the appliances … somehow, they’ve endured over the past three decades. Their apartment is clean and kept up, but when I visit, it’s 1992 again. I love it.
- NOT Traveling (as in, regular travel)
We’re home for Thanksgiving this year and we will be for every year from now on. I enjoyed going to see John’s dad in Northern Illinois and visiting our friend Debbie’s house in the past. However, there’s something about cooking at home and gathering our little family together that is special.
Jason, our dear friend and neighbor, will also be joining us in our ordinary little home. That brings me to my third blessing …
- Our ordinary life
Many people would trade spots with us in a heartbeat, and I know it. Our house isn’t fancy; it needs updating and repairs here and there … but we have heat. Furniture. Food. Clothing. A garage where we can park our vehicles – and they’re reliable vehicles.
We have caring neighbors and a safe neighborhood with cool stuff like Ginger’s Café and the Nickel Plate trail practically next door.
I work from home for myself (along with our furry companions) and love what I do. Our health is overall good.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that many of the ordinary things in our lives are actually extraordinary, compared to so many around the world.
I want to encourage readers to look around at the “ordinary” in our lives and be thankful for it all. There will always be bad news and imperfection in our world. But if we live each day giving thanks like we do today, we’ll see that what we have is really, truly, perfectly imperfect.
Amy Shankland is an empty-nester, writer, and fundraising professional living in Noblesville with her husband John and two dogs. You can reach her via email at amys@greenavenue.info.