Top 5 Things I'm Thankful For

Having finally come to from my turkey-induced coma, I can offer you the Top 5 Things I'm Thankful For. This was quite an interesting exercise because I found a lot to be thankful for but had a difficult time choosing what would make the cut and then how to write about it. I took some pointers from this interesting article about gratitude journals that I read in the NYT on my way home Thanksgiving Day. Apparently, a gratitude journal can make you a happier person. After reading the article, I honestly considered starting a gratitude journal of my own, but then I realized being happier might compromise my caustic wit and thought the better of it.

5) Preliminary Deadlines - As much as I hate them, I really love them. Every single one of my classes this semester has had preliminary deadlines for our semester projects/papers. Even though I’ve half-assed every single one of them, I’m glad to know that I have something down on paper even if that something sucks.



4) Neighbors - I’ve never been much of the neighborly type, I tend to keep myself and prefer that others keep to themselves as well. But now that I have friendly neighbors, boy am I glad I do. Here’s why: They’ll do things for you! Like take care of your cat and bring in your newspaper while you’re out of town. Also, there’s that sense of community thing, but that’s really secondary to having people do favors for you.



3) Having Someone to Come Home To—even if that someone is a cat. I was really happy that I got a cat over the summer when I came home to find her genuinely excited to see me. It sure beat coming back to a cold, dark, empty house, even if Bayani can’t cook me dinner or give me a back massage. Nevertheless, an enthusiastic purr is enough of a homecoming for me.


2) Being Able to Go Home - I’m thankful that I can go home and have a family to go home to that I actually like. It occurs to me every so often that some people actually don’t like they’re families, which must make the holidays suck a lot.



1) Being Able to Leave Home - As much as I love my family, I’m glad that I don’t have to live with them anymore. I think the pleasure of going home is a direct function of being able to leave. Plus, not being there all the time makes it that much more enjoyable and my family a lot more tolerable. And that probably makes me happier than any gratitude journal.