Try a Little Thankfulness

2020 is a year that’s been marked by frustration and disappointment for almost everyone. For too many, it has encompassed pain, fear, and sadness as well. It’s no wonder that by the time we’ve made it almost 12 months into this year, and 9 months into a pandemic, that I felt lackluster about Thanksgiving. Coming up with 30 things I’m thankful for this year was hard. But cultivating a heart of gratitude isn’t about seeing everything with rose-colored glasses– it’s about standing in the compost pile that is 2020 and being thankful for what grows out of it, even if the process is stinky.  

Things I’m Thankful For 2020 Edition

1. Old Navy masks– cute patterns, and they’re comfy too. 
2. Delivery people who keep us supplied with diapers, medical supplies, and whatever random thing my husband found on Amazon
3. The people who fixed the giant pothole in my street that’s been there for years, I’m not even judging that it took you over a month of torn-up streets to do it.
4. Two-year-olds who still take naps, God bless ‘em!
5. Dominos delivery, for supplying dinner every Friday night— I highly recommend the pasta bread bowl. 
6. That 4 out of the 5 birthday cakes I made this year turned out great. 80% success rate isn’t bad.
7. Bidets. 
8. Getting to finally see Hamilton on Disney+ in my living #roomwhereithappened
9. The efficiency of Chick-Fil-A curbside pickup
10. Medicaid and how it provides for our daughter and family’s needs
11. The many colors of the Colorado sky, from rainbow pastels to vibrant fiery colors and everything in between
12. That election season is over.
13. Giant towels sold by Target. They’re called bath sheets, and they’re lovely.
14. Private watch parties at the movie theater, so my toddler can run all over the place and not disturb anyone but our own family. 
15. Stephanie Meyer’s Midnight Sun— still Team Edward 15 years later— And how it’s brought me back to reading 4+ books a week. Oh, reading, how I’ve missed you. 
16. That my oldest children are mostly capable of making their own breakfast.
17. For the encouragement my friends and family have given me as a writer.
18. Hairstylists, so I’m not the one responsible for giving my husband a (terrible) haircut.
19. Overdrive, the library app for ebooks
20. The cuteness that is Baby Yoda. He gets me.
21. That my family has never run out of toilet paper
22. Creativity born out of necessity, especially by all the amazing teachers out there
23. Social distancing, because I prefer strangers stand 6ft from me 
24. Telehealth, saving time and energy, and the need to change out of pajamas
25. Coffee and drinking it from a collection of cute mugs
26. Friends who don’t judge you for being late and/or having a messy house and that maybe you’re not sure when you last showered.
27. Freshly laundered sheets, especially when they coincide with leg shaving day.
28. The courage of people of color who have shared their lived experiences with me– this has been a tough, ugly, eye-opening year
29. That I like the people I’m stuck at home with, and that we are stuck in a place that is safe, warm, and has wi-fi. 
30. The health and safety of my family. It often goes without saying, but I guess that’s been the point of 2020, that there are precious things that shouldn’t be taken for granted. 

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18