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Everyone seems to be posting a daily “what I’m Thankful for” update on Facebook.  That’s really not my style.  It’s a little too Hallmark and too mainstream for me.  If I posted one thing at a time, it would be too tempting to be snarky.  That would inevitably lead to me being called an ungrateful bitch by someone with no sense of humor and further result in me having to have one of those awful Facebook battles….

I’m grateful for many things, but don’t talk about it well.  I also have to put my gratitude into the context of my life as I’m lucky enough to live it.  For me it’s better to list the big and little things I’m thankful for all in one list.  It gives more context.   It’s also a better way for me to express myself.  That’s just the way I am– thoughtful, observant, a little deep, a little sentimental and somewhat happily shallow when I can get away with it…..

Here goes.  This is my list of things for which I’m very grateful- not necessarily in the order of importance- but in the context of the Holidays,  recent events and in my mind at this moment.  You can guess the real order….

1. Brooks Brothers
2. Online Shopping
3. My partner Steve who has made the last almost 16 years the best years of my life
4.  Our 4 twisted rescued pets
5. Green Valley Grill’s  Take Out Thanksgiving service
6. Our friends- old and new, present and past, sane and crazy who share this wonderful journey through life with us
7. That our friends are bringing most of the rest of the Thanksgiving dinner that I’m not ordering from the Green Valley Grill
8. That President Obama was re-elected
9. Ralph Lauren
10. The overall election results that showed an emerging, diverse country embracing hope and inclusion instead of selfishness and fear.
11. Tarn-X Silver Polish and Haggerty’s Silver Paste
12. A good job I usually love…
13. Our families of Choice and of Birth- both of whom contribute so much to making us who we are and providing good blogging fodder
14. Our neighborhood- full of fun, smart, caring, eclectic people.  Well, except for those few who put Romney signs in their yard…
15. Good sidewalks for dog walking
16. Ocracoke Island- that provides a once a year chance for us to get away from chain stores and franchise restaurants, our fast-paced life and have the chance to slow down and enjoy life in a special village off the North Carolina coast.
17. The chance to travel-no matter how much I may complain about the process
18. The Lexus dealership that keeps my 12 year 0ld car running so well that I don’t have to buy a new one
19. That almost no one wears double knit polyester anymore
20. LL Bean
21. Our wonderful housekeeper and pet sitter who helps us manage our crazy lives
22. That we don’t have to pay college tuition, but only vet bills
23. That Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid exist and help so many people add a little more dignity and security to their lives
24. Tranquillizers
25. The Bestway Grocery store up the street and their great selection of good, cheap wines that I never mix with the above, in case you are wondering….
26. That I live in a city of several colleges and Universities that values education and votes reliably Democratic to protect it.
27. The Arts- all of them.  Local and Broadway, amateur and professional.  And all the artist struggling to express themselves in a world that is not often friendly to the Arts and Artists.
28. My gym- the only one I’ve ever liked and that I need to get to more often.
29. Yoga- that I need to do more often so I don’t need numbers 24 & 25 as often!
30. Jon Stewart and Anderson Cooper
31. Sarcasm
32. The chance to enjoy all the many aspects of the Holiday seasons with people who value both the multi-cultural and traditional aspects of the season.
33. Maria’s and Reto’s take away meals
34. All the wonderful people I’ve reconnected with or met on Facebook and through my blogs, some that I may not have ever met in person, but who add so much fun and interest to my life with their comments, messages and posts
35. That I don’t live in Arizona, Alabama or Mississippi
36. Gas logs
37. That I went to college at Washington and Lee University in beautiful little Lexington Virginia where I got a great education, started to learn to think more diversely and  met so many wonderful people both then and later through the W&L connection
38. Sweaters.  Lots of sweaters….
39. The ability to laugh at the ironies and complexities of life
40. That I’m still here to enjoy it all….