It’s too easy to dwell on the negatives, so I am actively trying to put myself into a better state of mind. To that end, this Thanksgiving, I am personally thankful for:
Nikki, my favorite lil’ ol’ lady, my 13-year-old fluffball kitty. Getting crotchety, but she’s been my true best friend for years (since my Other Shoe died, really) and she always comes when called.
Monkey, the new addition to my little household. A house panther (black cat) now half a year old. He comes complete with extra thumbs (spare toes on each foot) and his hobbies include purring, trying to entice Nikki to play, and oooof! walking across my internal organs.
I got outta Dallas, and outta Texas. Uprooted my entire life and moved myself, Nikki, my African soft-furred rats, and a few houseplants with sentimental value across the whole country. Riiiiiight before there started to be murmurs about some coronavirus thingy. But I found a house, got a job, and even unpacked enough to set up a comfy little home here. I did it, and I got away from a bunch of crap back in Dallas that was really bringing me down.
My ratties are a fun hobby, a source of mental stability, and a decent side hustle. I fell into breeding them sort of by accident (long story, but it’s not like I deliberately set out to become an ASF breeder) but dammit, I’m getting a nice little reputation out there in various exotic animal groups on F.B. and that’s a nice feeling.
I have a job that I genuinely enjoy, for the first time in years. A decade, really, of absolutely shit work. This one has had bumps, thanks to higher management, but the actual tasks, the coworkers, and yes, even most of the customers are enjoyable.
I have fewer health problems than most folks my age, which is especially miraculous given I take pretty crappy care of myself.
So, my fellow Dopers. Tell us what YOU’RE thankful for this year. There’s tons to complain about, so this thread is to lighten the tone & focus on the good stuff. Big and small. No blessing is too mundane to share with us here.
I’m fifty years old, just graduated (for the second time), and I can still get people to employ me. A month into my current (6-month) contract, and my supervisor sat me down yesterday for a big chat about how I can best make sure to get a new contract with the department after this lot of money is gone.
Also, thanks to lockdown I’m cycling faster than I ever have (full disclosure: still not very fast) and play the piano and grow things in the garden better than I ever have (full disclosure: still not very well)
My parents will be eating Thanksgiving dinner in their garage.
Why?
Because they are having another couple, who they know is as careful as they are, over for Thanksgiving dinner. And my mother wanted a candelabra. So my dad went to the thrift store and got her a nice shiny one. It will sit in the middle, while each couple has their own table, chairs, utensils, etc. Because they are being that careful.
So, with everything else going on, my mom and dad are keeping their sense of humor (senses of humor). And I’m happy that they are still laughing.
And I’m grateful for this message board. I was left adrift when that other board suddenly upped stakes. There are days when it’s difficult to be in a foreign country, and it’s nice to come here and hang out.
<<knocks down @Beckdawrek in a virtual tackle-hug>>
I tried to be gentle, honest!
Mr VOW and I, plus The Daughter and her bunch, and The Son and his crew, are still blissfully COVID-free. All of us are damn near giddy with thanks over that!
Bekkers, pul-eeeze stay! This place is so empty without you! I do hope Son of Wrek is mending nicely, and that all the Wreks and Grandwreks are with you now!
I’m an old geezer…but still mostly healthy, have a minimum-wage job that seems to keep me going, a decent roommate, lovely family, all the usual good things.
Lost a friend to Covid, but…only one. (And her health was TERRIBLE; she wasn’t long for the world in any case.)
The world is messed up, but we have the tools needed to deal with most of the crises we’ll face going forward. “Representative Democracy” is still a beacon of hope to billions in this world, the single best thing that the human species has ever come up with.
I have a lot to be thankful for. I haven’t caught the plague, and I may have even been vaccinated already; I’m hoping they unblind the study soon so I can find out. I’m still scuba diving pretty much every weekend. I have a job, even if I’m feeling a little burned out. I have a sweet husband and a warm kitty to keep me company. My fellow Americans voted out the orange Nazi–barely, but we did it. I have an ample supply of Scotch. And I second the gratitude for this board; it’s been great to see those old handles from the other board, as well as all these cool new-to-me folks.
Thirding the board, giving a home to us refugees that has such interesting people in it.
More than thirding, I think, the cats. I am thankful that Merton meowed at my door in February. I’m thankful that Calliope’s previous human acknowledged that she’s not going to come take her back. I’m thankful that the Eddytown Cat purrs so nice and cuddly, even if he does want to wrap himself around my head at night and knead and pull my hair.
I am thankful for friendly neighbors, and for a family that all agrees to have Thanksgiving by Zoom without anybody arguing about it. And that since Thanksgiving is by Zoom I don’t have to clean the house. And that I got the garlic planted; and that the freezers and woodpile are full.
We’re thankful for a lot this year. The wife officially became an American last month and even got to vote against the Orange Cheeto in the White House. We’re both healthy and still working. This has actually been a good year for us.
About the only bad thing to happen to us personally is we had to cancel our Vegas trip and could not go anywhere, not even a neighboring island. Talk about your First World problems!
I am grateful that I’m still here and still have a job. I can also still work from home which is a huge relief as my daily commute would have been horrible. My partner and I remain plague-free, although we are both fairly sure we had it some time ago. Apart from the devastating loss of my mother in January, the rest of our combined family are in good health so we are very grateful that they are all doing their best to remain so.
My good friends in the music community have pulled together to support each other, and we are still able to support them in small ways. I really don’t know if some of them understand just how much their music has been a light in the darkness for a lot of people.