I was going to do another NaNo update post this week, but I thought better of it. For one, because I haven’t made nearly as much progress on my November goals as I wanted in the last seven days, and I don’t want to give you an update that isn’t an update. And for two, because we’ve recently passed the one year anniversary of an election that exposed the ugliest parts of our society in the ugliest possible ways, and I’d rather focus on gratitude this week than focus on that.
So, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, here are five things I’m grateful for this year:
1. My personal relationships.
I could easily write three separate entries for my family, my friends, and my fiancee, but I don’t want to bore you with my sappiness. Let’s just say that I’ve got some pretty amazing people in my life, and I do the very best I can not to take them for granted. They’ve celebrated the best parts of this year with me and made the worst parts more bearable, and I can’t even begin to describe how lucky I am to know each and every one of them.
2. My mental health
This year has been so rough on my anxiety, but it has also been the year where I feel like I’ve made the most progress in coping with it. I’m usually that person who pushes their mental health to the bottom of their priority list until it becomes a “serious enough” problem. But with the US political climate being what it is and impacting my anxiety levels the way it has, I’ve really had to get proactive about implementing and sticking with my coping mechanisms. And even though the world feels like a dumpster fire most of the time, I’m handling it a heck of a lot better than I would’ve three or four years ago, which is super encouraging.
3. My creative process
Seriously, figuring out how I like to create and what inspires me and how to optimize my working conditions has made SUCH a big difference in my writing life and my overall happiness. I’ve made less tangible progress toward my writing goals this year than I have in any of the years past, but I’m not freaking out about it. I’m coming to realize that progress shouldn’t always be measured in the number of words on a page. I’m taking more time to develop my manuscripts and move deliberately through them, and I’m happier with my writing than I’ve been in almost a decade. It’s pretty freaking great.
4. My job
I’ve been at my current company for just over a year now, and I still like my boss, still like my coworkers, and still like the work environment. It’s amazing how much better I feel about my life as a whole when I’m not stressing about or hating my job.
5. The resistance
Sometimes, the only thing that keeps me from completely losing faith in America is the people around me who are protesting and calling and organizing and fighting even when everything looks hopeless. I’m so thankful for those who lead by example and treat others with compassion and work their butts off to try and make our country better. They inspire me, and they push me to keep fighting too.
What are you thankful for?