Thursday Thirteen: Things I'm Grateful For

1. Dan. Like Kimberly and Trina, I am so grateful to the person in my life who loves me unconditionally and whole-heartedly, who wants to be next to me forever, who laughs at my jokes (and frequently laughs at me), who holds my hand in the grocery store. I am so thankful to have him for a partner.

2. Max. Dan is my partner and my best friend and the love of my life, but I am increasingly convinced that Max is the reason I was born. Grateful is exactly what I am to be raising this sweet boy.

3. Central air conditioning. Not so much now, but come August, spend a little time with me someplace without air conditioning and find out how mean I am when I'm too hot. You'll be grateful for central air conditioning too.

4. High speed internet. I don't know. I think I could live with dial-up again. I hope I won't have to.

5. Injectable insulin. Mmm, yeah. Without it, pretty much everything is a moot point for me.

6. "Friends" re-runs. The scene where Joey tries to teach Ross to talk dirty is maybe one of the funniest things I've ever seen.

7. My job. I have a great job with smart people where I have a chance to perform at the top of my game and be recognized for what I accomplish. I know not a lot of people have a chance to feel as fulfilled by their job as I do.

8. My family. Oh, they drive me crazy, but they are mine. They love me and support me and they're there when I need them. Frequently, they're there when I don't want them to see me looking stupid too, but it's okay. I'll take it all.

9. My friends. The people who have known me a long time know all my layers, and there is great security in knowing that someone knows you well, and gets it.

10. My washer and drier. To follow with Kimberly's indoor plumbing theme, I don't see myself pounding my clothes on a rock. I would have invent disposable clothing, and then I would have to be grateful for disposable clothing.

11. Williams & Sonoma. I will eventually not be poor and starved for kitchen storage space, and when I am, I am going to Williams & Sonoma and I am going to just lose my mind.

12. Talent. I have a few things I can do. I can write. I can knit. I can cook. I can do crossword puzzles. I am glad I can do them, because they allow me to make a living, create things, feed and amuse myself.

13. My home. Throughout the chaos over the last few weeks, I have become increasingly grateful for the fact that I have a roof over my head. There are a lot of people who get painted into a corner much the same as Dan and I did, and there isn't anyone to help them or any opportunities left. I am thankful that I've had that, that people have helped us, and that we're now comfortable and settled in a condo that, while not officially ours, feels like home in a way that our apartment never did.

I love NaBloPoMo! Having no excuse not to write something or at least find something interesting to show people is great for me. I can't guarantee I'll always be interesting, or relevant, or not thoroughly inappropriate, but I am really enjoying it. I'd love suggestions on what to write, or if you'd like to ask me some sort of question or something...you know.