Giving Thanks.

Well, Thanksgiving was on Thursday. I'm not sure how America celebrates Thanksgiving anymore, but I'm pretty sure that it mainly revolves about eating Turkey and Pumpkin pie, watching football and preparing to shop the next day. In some ways it is comforting, since eating, football and consumerism define America in a lot of ways, but I'd like to think that at least a few people go through and at least think of everything they should be thankful for in life, reflect and spend some time with those they love. I was able to do those things this weekend and I wanted to share what I was thankful for...

-My family and how much they really do mean to me and what they have done and sacrificed for me. I consider myself very lucky to have the Mom, Dad, Brother and Sister that I do. I know this gets overdone and sappy, but it is true and I don't know if there is any other way to say it.

-My friends. Everyone says they have the best friends in world. That's not true. Only I have the best people in the world as friends. Really. I know I can count on them when it matters and that there will always be somebody, regardless of the circumstance, that I can turn to. My friends are a diverse bunch, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I am extremely blessed.

-I had a hard time with this next one initially, but I gritted my teeth and went with it. I'm thankful for my job. I'm really lucky to be able to be in the upper 2 percent of all the world and be able to provide for myself and work towards a secure future. As much as I complain about my job, I am lucky to have the job I have, especially right out of college. Even if it isn't what I want to do with my life, the fact that it provides me enough to do what I want and be independent is important. Getting past my own issues with idealization and focusing on the positives is something I'm working on, but for now I'll just be thankful for what I have.

-The list gets a bit more specific from there, but I'm not going to be shy with most of them. I'm thankful for having a great friend to live with who is understanding and fun to live with. I'm thankful to be able to travel. I'm thankful to be able to have grown up and make my own decisions and live in a country where I am free to do so. I'm thankful for a just, free, democratic America. I'm thankful to have siblings who are incredible people. I'm incredibly thankful for Lindsey, who clearly means a lot to me. I'm thankful to be the person I am and will continue to be, regardless of how everything else shapes around me. I'm thankful to have had almost the same exact best friends for almost 10 years. I'm thankful for my education.

I know it is a bit of a tedious list, and it is a little sappy, romantic, and idealistic...but I don't care. I don't think the main idea of Thanksgiving is given enough thought anymore, and I want it to make a comeback. Our holidays get so bloated in this era that they can pass by without a thought. I want to get back to their original meaning, and I don't mean the mass slaughter of an indigenous race.

I want to be pre-old school. I want to give thanks.

Happy "late" Thanksgiving.

={+}=

Feed the Hungry AND Cure Boredom?

I thought this was A W E S O M E...

http://www.freerice.com/index.php

What a fabulous idea. I know a way to hook ME on the internet is to have some sort of application/game that proves how smart I am. Double bonus that my strange addiction feeds people in impoverished areas.

I was wondering how they afforded to support this idea, but I saw the tactful advertisements on the bottom of the page for really big companies...so I guess that is where the funding comes from.

Honestly, I'm in awe of whoever was the mastermind behind this project. I'll keep donating AND improving my literacy whenever I can.

America: Help the hungry. Improve your own English skills when you are bored of contributing to the drab work life! What a slogan...

={+}=