Giving thanks isn’t just for Thanksgiving

As Thanksgiving has come and gone in the blink of an eye, I have been stuck with a long lingering thought about being thankful, especially in the America of today, where so much is overlooked and/or taken for granted. Americans have so much to be thankful for, but they would rather whine about the parts of life that have been rather quirkily been called “First World Problems”, as shown in countless memes on social media platforms and throughout the Internet. Granted, I am guilty of many of these things myself, such as complaining when the TV remote batteries run out & having to change them out for fresh ones two rooms away, or being too lazy to make delicious food out of ingredients in your refrigerator, so fast food becomes dinner instead. Things like this should bother me more, but I don’t give it enough thought because I am too tired after work, or preoccupied with budgetary worries when the first of the month comes around…Anyways, back to the message of Thanksgiving.

This past year has brought a whole pile of special new friends and assorted things into my life that I very much feel the need to recognize on this blog post, because the last thing I want to do is take these people and things for granted. First off, the social media outlet known as Pinterest has been a huge part in this stage of my social growth, and for that I am infinitely thankful. I know how strange that may sound, so I will explain the story behind that. As a full-fledged introvert with only a small circle of close friends, social media allows me more freedom to expand myself and be more open to friendships with certain like-minded people, and the blessings that have come from that are SO MANY, more than I ever thought I’d be blessed with!! Especially noteworthy is my best mate/fated-friend Katie, who matches up with me in at least 96% of personality, geekiness, character, and pretty much every other aspect, and that blows my mind every time I try to wrap my head around it!! Not far behind are other fellow introverts and geeks who appreciate a lot of the fandoms and comics that I do, especially Alanna, Jenna, Chelsea, Julia & Jackie, Allison, and Hannah. All of them have helped encourage me to stretch my horizons in several ways or more, especially with my amateur writing, and I am so thankful to have found them through Pinterest!! I will add on more to this post later, this is barely scratching the surface of the extent of my thankfulness…

Another huge part of my life that I can’t help but be immensely thankful for is my extended family, especially on my mom’s side. All of my uncles, aunts, cousins, and in-laws are very closely knit, and just have a great time of laughter, amazing foods, and fantastic family time every time we all get together. Most of the craziness that usually haunts families nowadays passes us by, and it feels like the safest place in the world, full of love and genuine care for each other. There are many other things on my Thanksgiving list, but these things I wrote about are especially close and dear to my heart, so they merited recognition in my blog! 🙂 Only sixteen days until Christmas, YESSS!!!