What I’m thankful for

Usually I host Thanksgiving dinner, mainly because my family is a bunch of horrible cooks (I’m not the best, but at least I follow the instructions and don’t just make up stuff like substituting flour for sugar sort of thing) and my husband’s family is too far away. Each year I try to get my family to open up with what they’re grateful for, but I think I’ve finally figured out my mistake. I always ask them BEFORE the meal, before passing the yams and beans and carving up the poor old bird. Their mouths are watering, they’ve tickled their taste buds with dip, strained conversation and some TV football. Now the are HONGRAY and just want to EAT! They don’t want to hear sister/aunt/daughter/friend Adara keeping them from their tummies by asking questions. Getting answers like “my health” “Tivo” “Kara’s A in geometry” “my car” and other inane things made me realize I was trying to force a tradition. Don’t get between the Bernstein/Klein’s and their food!!!

This year, here is what I’m truly grateful for.

·         Health care reform - politics aside, I know that even with health insurance, with all the denied coverage and so on, many, many people are one illness away from bankruptcy. Something like 40+% of all bankruptcies are from medical bills. And 47M people without insurance is inexcusable and hits your pocketbook as well as mine.

·         My “enemies.” You know the ones. The mommy-gang-rivalry. The jealous wife. The ex’s. The ones who spend their lives worried about what other people think and trying to manipulate people to agree with them. This means that I have a good life that other people are envious of.

·         The troops fighting overseas. A friend has a nephew in the Army who is deployed in Afghanistan. Based on what I know of how that country was “before” and “after” these wars and how long the geo-politics has been struggling over this country, I am grateful there are men and women willing to put their lives in a commander in chief and cause they believe in.

·         My job - writing allows me to explore avenues of myself and others that I would never otherwise get to do. Interviewing people for various stories and articles is a joy. They give me a glimpse of the inner workings and thoughts of their lives, and in return I give them a pale-in-comparison interpretation of that gift wrapped in a bow of proverbial verbiage.

·         That my daughter is not dating a Vampire (This was stolen from Ken Levine and too hilarious to pass up!!)

·         Boing Boing - this irreverent site makes me think and laugh, usually in the same breath

·         Seasons - there I nothing more noticeable than our march towards the mortality we all face, but isn’t it a comfort and a joy to see the seasons change before our eyes? It provides a continuity that time will go on and that we are just a piece of the puzzle and Mother Nature throws us amazing things to witness along our journey.

·         My snuggie. Just kidding. Just wanted to see if you were paying attention (now I’ll probably get 5 for Hanukkah).

·         Invitations - for it means we have friends who care enough about us to want to include us in something.

·         Terrific writing - you writers know who you are. Many of you are on here, spilling your guts and sharing your dreams, and for that I am grateful that you allow us this glimpse of your lives.

·         Memories . I often wish I had a better memory so I could store them and “play” them in my mind whenever I want. I’ll have to stick with my storytelling for now and to pass them onto my children.

·         That caterpillars turn into butterflies. This means there is hope for us all.

Your turn. What are you grateful for this year?