Giving Thanks

A little late, but isn't the whole point of Thanksgiving to be grateful for what you have every day of the year? I really am thankful for many things. Sometimes I feel so lucky that I worry because I don't deserve it all. And, we all know, karma is a bitch. I have a wonderful husband, great friends and family. I have a job I really love, that I am able to do despite my health issues. We have a cute little house of our very own, and an even cuter puppy. But I am also very grateful for little, totally trivial things that make me happy every day. Here are some of them.

1. Lotion. I don't think I'd be alive if I didn't have lotion. I would have shriveled up into a large, pink prune. Lotion is actually a pretty amazing, high-tech invention. It mixes oil and water and keeps them mixed. Just try doing that at home, folks. Before there was lotion, people just slathered on oil. Ick. That's why they talk about anointing kings with oil. Nope, I'll take lotion any day. In all its scented incarnations. Current favorite: Burt's Bee's Almond Milk and Beeswax Hand Cream. Dharma says it is quite tasty, too. I'll just take her word for it.

2. Knee socks. I do love cute, fuzzy socks in general. And I love knee socks even more. They make me feel warm and cozy just looking at them. And Derek thinks they're cute. A-hem. And I love it that knee socks keep me snug even when my nightgown rides up around my knees. Why do they do that? And, while I'm wondering, why don't they make pjs with feet in my size?

3. Candles. I love the light, the motion, the soothing distraction. And the scents. I even like lighting more than one scented candle at once: cinnamon and apple make an apple pie scented room. Vanilla and almond make cookie scented. Tee-hee. And I am very grateful that I don't NEED to see by candles. I can flip on a light and read by it, while I enjoy a purely decorative candle. Much nicer than squinting to sew by hand in candlelight.

4. Books. I love it that I can have tons and tons of books. So many that I learned to speed-read during grad school. What a luxury to have so many books that I can devour as many as I want and never run out. I estimate that I own about 1000 books, not including Derek's books. The library at the medieval monastery of Melk, in Germany, was famous all over Europe for its huge library. They had about 300 books.

5. And libraries. I still can hardly believe that I can go borrow as many books as I can carry for free. And movies and music, too. I read all sorts of things I would never actually pay money for, like The Physics of Star Trek and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Dog Tricks and every book the library has about crocheting and interior decorating. They have a whole book about buying a couch. And that's just the public library. There's also the IU library. I actually don't usually go there. I have bad memories of that library, including fainting once in the stacks. (Orthostatic hypotension, I bent over to grab one too many books on the bottom shelf, then passed out when I stood up.) Not to mention the general bad memories of grad school and IU. And to think IU actually called and asked me to donate money to the history department. Uh, let's just say I don't think they'll be calling me again.

6. The internet. Besides the endless goofing off potential, it also lets me access things quickly and easily. I even love the serendipitous misleads I get on Google. When a student asked about syphilis in class the other day (we were talking about the impact of disease on history, like Jared Diamond's Guns Germs and Steel theory.) And I could immediately pull up pictures of the lesions and of a map showing its (theoretical) spread from the New World to the Old. I don't think THOSE students will be practicing unsafe sex any time soon!

7. Bellydance. I love dancing, and I like bellydance best of all. It is still amazing to me that I am able to dance at all with my joint problems. But I can actually do this. I read an article in Arthritis Today magazine in which a doctor said something like "My patients who exercise tell me they hurt after they work out. But my patients who don't exercise tell me they hurt 24 hours a day." So, yes, it hurts my joints, but I think it is good for me. Mentally, too. I love the ladies I dance with, especially the other members of our troupe. And I love performing. I think I draw energy from the dancing, rather than being worn out by it. Is that possible?



I was going for a top-ten list, but I think these seven things are quite enough. Yes, I have a lot to be thankful for. And, no, I didn't forget your doxie dose:

I think the most appropriate caption for this pictures is "Slllluuuurp!!!"