Yep, It's the Thankful Post

I can't get behind the religious ideology behind Christmas and Easter. I'm too old for the festivities of Halloween. I'm not old enough to get smashed on New Year's. But if I ignore the historical complications that brought us Thanksgiving, I think I can celebrate this one with an appropriate amount of fervor.

First of all, as all of these things begin, I am thankful for my family. I'm thankful for loving and supportive parents, who are fun loving and hilarious. I'm thankful a little brother who probably loves me even if he'd never admit it, and the true friend he really is.

I'm thankful for that, as a family, we can stand in our front yard while mom triumphantly presses the button on the snazzy new remote that controls the Christmas lights like Clark Griswold. I'm thankful that my house looks like a display from the decoration section of Lowe's Hardware, and especially thankful for the random lit-up dolphin wearing a Santa hat that my parents proudly purchased for me last year.

I'm thankful for my slightly redneck but well-meaning extended family, and even more thankful that they're being thankful somewhere else.

I'm thankful that there are wonderful people taking care of my sick grandmother, and thankful that she is looking forward to us decorating her house for Christmas tomorrow and thankful that she felt good enough to go out and eat yesterday.

I'm thankful for my cat, even when he uses me as furniture. He enjoys Thanksgiving more than anyone.

I'm thankful for my dear friends, who hopefully know who they are. I'm thankful they put up with my when I'm annoying and embrace me when I'm not.

I'm thankful for my education, which I'm so grateful to be receiving, even when it annoys me to no end.

I'm thankful for my job, which is the perfect job for me and for my excellent co-workers there.

I'm thankful for all the great books I've read and will read and the amazing people who wrote them. I'm thankful for the music that puts melody in my life and the many devices I use to play it. I'm thankful for my silly car that always starts and keeps on chugging.

And finally, I'm thankful to anyone who reads this thing, and thankful for the opportunity to write things people may someday read. And most of all, I'm thankful that Mom is cooking a turkey downstairs because I'm freaking starving.