24x the Gratitude

Happy Thanksgiving friends!

The thing about Thanksgiving is with it comes, at least for me, a lot of reflection about the things I’m grateful for. So I thought I would use this blog entry - in the midst of all the turkey basting, gossip girl watching, and table decorating- to talk about some of the unconventional things that happened upon my life & just how grateful I am for them all. 24 to be exact, to commemorate my 24th Thanksgiving:)

1.) I’m grateful I’ve traveled to so many places before the age of 24. 28 states, 18 countries, 3 continents (need to work on that one) is nothing to joke about. And yes, I did just pull out a list of countries and run through it at 9:30 am to write that last sentence.

2.) I’m grateful I got to call a few of those places home and learned what it takes to make them feel like one. Living in London and Seattle was life changing, and brought with it a lot more than rain. I’m so glad I lived other places and I hope I do it again one day.

3.) I’m grateful for my beautiful orange cat, who I adopted this year. Emmy you’re too young to read, but you’re a ferocious little thing and I’m lucky to be your mama.

4.) I’m grateful for the courage to take risks and make hard choices, like taking a new job, this year. Decisions like that can be hard and always require facing your fears and I’m proud I’m able to own the choices I make.

5.) I’m grateful for my apartment, and its beautiful view of Lake Michigan, which I’m only a 20 minute walk away from. It may have cost an arm and a leg, but there’s something about living here that makes me smile every time I walk inside.

6.) I’m grateful for my ambition, which allowed me to graduate a year and a half early and be the youngest associate manager I know. I’m always challenging myself to get to the next level and unleash my full potential, and I’m really fulfilled by being wired that way.

7.) I’m grateful for my humor and for the humor of my friends, which always helps me to find a silver lining in any situation. You guys are seriously fucking hilarious. The parodies, the sleepovers, the Broadway raves, the trips, the long panicked calls, and everything else is more appreciated than you all could ever realize.

8.) I’m grateful for the friends I met on my many chapters of growth, those I don’t see or talk to every day but are directly responsible for the person I am today: Athena, Ellen, Katie, Yami, Amy, Grace G, Katherine, Sarah M. London, Seattle, Champaign and everywhere in between - thanks for building my confidence and being a light at a time I really needed one.

9.) I’m grateful for the friends I can always be the most authentic layer of myself with: Serena, Rebecca, Sarah A, Hailey, and Mollie K. From going on a thousand slow walks to taking trips to Wisconsin dells, this group are the people I feel like I can tell anything to, so thanks for always listening and having my back.

10.) And I’m grateful for the friends who always peel back a new layer behind my personality with their beautiful souls: my Jackie’s, Lanie, Grace B, and Mollie C. You guys are so funny and one of a kind, and even if our friendship is new or deepening as we speak, it’s only more valuable because of that.

11.) As well as those have been there since what feels like forever, the ones who keep me going like a constant North Star: Donna, Jess, Samantha, Sydney. If you’re reading this right now, and because I just saw wicked part two last week, thanks for changing me “for good”.

13.) I’m grateful for my family, from my annoying sister to my fearless parents, to my ingenious grandparents. No one tells you just how special those family relationships become as an adult and it’s been so fullfilling to lean on them.

14.) I’m grateful for my 20s: these fleeting years that feel like anything can happen as long as I expect life will be unexpected and each change will teach me something new about myself. Sometimes I say I was born to live in my thirties, but then I do need to shut up because mid-20 is a pretty great place to be.

15.) I’m grateful for good music. Taylor Swift, who I got to see make magic twice within the last two years, and Demi Lovato, who I’ll see next year, plus countless other artists.

16.) I’m grateful for being able to call people. No seriously, I’ll never understand why people text and I’m willing to be called an old person but FaceTimes at night and calls in the car are some of my favorite things.

17.) I’m grateful for my ability to tell a story. It might go off in 1000 different tangents every which way, but usually that just means it’s shaping up to be a really good one.

18.) I’m grateful for good food from every culture in the world. Each time I make a new recipe, I’m reminded just how many I haven’t tried yet and that always fills me with anticipation.

19.) I’m grateful for the holidays. The best time of year in Chicago is secretly the months of November and December (and it isn’t even close).

20.) I’m grateful for the people who’ve been my mentors in life; I’ll never forget their impact on who I’ve become.

21.) I’m grateful I grew up here, in Illinois, where the seasons can be a whirlwind but Chicago is your next door neighbor. It’s been incredible, 24 years running.

22.) I’m grateful I attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I could never have known at the time I chose it just how much I’d grow to love the people I met there. I also could never have known just how much, to quote Taylor swift, changes from 18 to 22… but I’m grateful I took the adventure there.

23.) I’m grateful for time. It’s easy to feel rushed along by life, yearning for every next milestone and ignoring the ones you’re currently passing by without realizing. But the small ones should be celebrated too! Hell, I rented a car for the first time a few weeks ago and that deserves to be applauded just as much as the big things. I’m so appreciative that my life is only just beginning and I know it’s going to be a long, rewarding, and thrilling one.

24.) I’m grateful for this blog. & if you’re reading this right now, that includes you too!

Everyone can remember when they were kids and their parents forced them to go around the table sharing what they were grateful for, and we all spewed off “friends, family, health, etc” without a second thought. But this is my challenge to everyone reading this blog today, or over the weekend, or whenever. Remember to be mindful - to really take some time to appreciate the very specific, long-lasting, often forgotten about memories and individuals who’ve gotten you to where you are today. In between the festivities of today and the onset of the holiday season, let’s bring that warmth with us and use it to touch the lives of those around us. Hope everyone has a plentiful, joyful, and prosperous holiday!

Sincerely (and with a ton of thanks),

Sharon