Dangling through Thanksgiving

The holiday season is upon us again and this year I am really trying to focus on the reason for the season rather than the commercialized aspects of the time between Thanksgiving and New Years.

I think one of the most interesting parts of this time of year is learning about everyone else's traditions. My extended family is always together for both holidays. We usually have about 25-30 people attend our Thanksgiving dinner but this year that number was about half. I think due to the smaller crowd around our table, it made me realize that many people celebrate with just their families or groups of friends that they are not related to. I have been fortunate to have all of those people around me at one Thanksgiving meal. I am realizing that as my life changes over the next few years, my traditions will have to adjust.

That is why I would like to take a moment to reflect on all of the aspects of my life that I am thankful for because I don't want to lose sight of what is really important during this holiday season.

• Family: without any of these people I would not be the person that I am and I know that no matter what happens they will always be beside me
• Friends: I have been fortunate to cross paths with so many different people in my life and I am just now realizing how much of an impact each of these people can make. I want to continue to make sure that I am investing in worthwhile relationships and make sure that moving forward I take opportunities to meet new people.
• Education: I feel fortunate to be able to attend an outstanding university that has afforded me with too many opportunities to count. I am grateful that someone identified me as a student who wants to change the world and gave me the chance to start learning about how I can. I know there are people who do not have this chance and I do not want to take for granted this opportunity.
• Job: I am so grateful that I have accepted an offer for an internship for next summer. I was so worried that I wasn't going to have this type of opportunity and I am excited to learn so much in this role. I know this job is going to lead me in an amazing direction and I can't wait to see how much I grow.
• Worries: I know this one is strange but I see these worries as a positive aspect of my life. I am naturally a worry wart and tend to stress about things I can't control or things that are not worth stressing over. I am grateful for these worries because it means that I am so blessed. If I stopped worrying, life would go on and be blissful but these worries just signal to me that I can push myself to achieve more and help the greater good, and for that I am grateful.
• Culture: probably another strange one. I am grateful for the way I was raised and the values that my parents have instilled in me. I am grateful for the fact that I can have my own tastes in XYZ and even though people might disagree with me, I am still allowed to have an opinion. I am grateful that every person I meet has their own views of culture and it creates a better society as a whole.
• God: I am so grateful that God has given me such a wonderful life and given me the chance to be grateful for so many things. My religion has been a constant struggle in college because I know I have become closer to God but I am not necessarily showing it on a daily/weekly basis. I feel fortunate to believe that someone is always watching out for me and hope that my actions can start to reflect this attitude.

Obviously, these are a lot of the basic aspects of life that everyone is thankful for but I wanted to write them down in my own terms. I hope everyone had a glorious Thanksgiving and takes a moment to reflect on why they are thankful!