Day 18: Colors

 I am grateful for the colors of my schools. First, for my high school colors, black and gold. I wore these for volleyball, basketball, and track; sang songs and cheered cheers that included these colors; and still get a rush of dopamine when I hear a reference to black and gold. 

Next, I'm grateful for my college colors, red and brown. I remember considering these a negative in choosing which college to attend (it didn't help that my younger brother frequently reminded me that brown is the color of poop). But again, you wear these colors as an athlete and make all these memories alongside your teammates ranging from exhausting workouts to long hours on the bus to thrilling moments at track meets - and all of a sudden, you feel great love and loyalty for these colors.

 Finally, I'm grateful for my college colors of blue and white. I only wore these colors as a fan, but this is a school where being a fan is a bit like being on a team. You have to campout to get tickets to men's basketball games. You learn the players, the cheers, the traditions. You learn that royal blue is the best, while UNC sky blue is the worst. 

I'm grateful for all the memories associated with these colors and for the fun that can go along with an education.

Day 17: Sights

 

I'm grateful for pink skies. What a thing, that so many mornings and so many evenings we can look into the sky and view, free of charge, the best piece of art you could possibly imagine. Painted across a canvas the size of the horizon, only existing for a few minutes, giving you twice daily chances to feel wonder and awe just by looking up.

Day 16: About Your Life

 

I am grateful that my life has afforded me the opportunity to live in different regions of the United States. I spent my first 18 years, plus several summers and one bonus year, living in the Midwest. I had 3 different spurts, totaling 11 years, living on the East Coast. And then I have lived in the Mountain West for around 15 years. 

I'm grateful to have experienced particular things in each region. In the Midwest, I'm grateful for the wide open plains, the way communities come together and support each other, and the slower pace of life. On the East Coast, I'm grateful for all the trees!!, the thicker sense of history, the culture found in museums and restaurants and shops that come with the bulk of population being located back East, and the bolder and brasher way people relate to each other. In the mountain west, I love the beautiful mountains, the laid back west coast vibe, and the appreciation of individuality and freedom. I'm grateful to see the enormous geographic and sociological diversity that exists within the United States. 

And even with the significant differences among region, I'm also grateful to see some of the things that are common across all the regions. There is of course McDonalds and Starbucks everywhere you go, but there are also parks and libraries and churches; there is generally a chance at economic prosperity and a safety net for the most vulnerable; and a government that helps administer life and keep us safe while also allowing us to keep our fundamental freedoms.

Day 15: Friend or Companion

 Today I am thankful for our dog, Bear. I am thankful for the personality of pugs: their playfulness, their surprising strength and athleticism that comes out in brief flashes, and (definitely the defining feature of a pug) their love and loyalty expressed through clinginess. I'm grateful for dogs in general and what wonderful companions they make - a comforter on hard days and a playmate / walkmate on good days. The steadiest of companions who is always there and never says the wrong thing. Here's to dogs!

Day 14: Relative

 Today I'm grateful for the feeling when the whole family gets together. (We were actually missing one brother and his wife, but most of us were together.) I'm grateful to see the interactions between cousins, between grand parents and grand-children, and between adults siblings. I'm grateful for old traditions carried on and new ones formed, for lots of laughs and memories made. And today I'm also grateful for the cause of our get together, which is the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. I'm grateful to live in Anerica and for the values put forth in the Preamble to the Constitution.

Day 13: Place

The place I'm thankful for today is the airport. I'm grateful that air travel makes it possible to get across the country and even around the world in such a compact amount of time. I'm grateful that arriving at the airport signals excitement and anticipation - going on an adventure, seeing a favorite spot or favorite people. I'm grateful also for the positive feelings upon returning home.  There's lots that can be challenging about air travel these days, so it's good to also remember what a mind boggling wonder of technology and what a fantastic portal of connection and experiences it can be.

Day 12: Tradition

 

I am thankful for our family tradition of restaurant food on Friday nights. It's a nice way to give parents a break and give everyone a treat all at once. It's a fun way to start the weekend and it gives one less thing to think about as you wrap up the work week. And for most of the life of this tradition (which we've held for several years), it's been a good way for our family to get some quality family time, although the way it has worked out this past year has been a little different. Due to sports schedules, the restaurant food has been a standing order of pizza and chicken tenders, picked up at 3:30 from Pizza Plus so that everyone can have at least a little dinner before heading back out. The sports schedule recently changed to give us back our Friday evenings, so I'm grateful that we'll be able to go back to a more normal eating time, get a little variety in the restaurant food, and eat together as a family.