What Are You Thankful For?

[Pedersen]

Warning: This is a sappy post.

I can safely say that this year was not what I hoped for. It began wonderfully, and quickly went in a direction that I did not foresee. Once it started down that path, everything just seemed to get worse and worse and worse.

I did have a couple of items in my life that kept me going, though.

First, my wife. I love her more than mere words will ever say, and I owe her a debt of gratitude for putting up with me this year that I don't think I can ever repay.

Second, my RL friends and family. The people who would put up with me babbling, and console, and help.

Third, CS itself. Whenever I needed, I could come here, and vent. And boy did I ever vent. I used to think that my posts were pretty much like throwing paint on a wall under a bridge: Something that gets put up, but not really read. I now know I was wrong. I get read, and I get replied to. And that helped me out in dealing with the issues, more than I can say.

Finally, CS Chat. The people in there heard even more of my issues, since I would frequently have something that torqued me off, but wasn't enough to make a post. And they always listened, and provided support. I frequently posted here, and then linked in there. Even though it's the same people, it's a different atmosphere, with different conversation.

It's been a long, tough year (not as tough for me as some others, I admit). All of these people helped me get through, and I wanted to say thank you. Everybody on that list helped make the year something that was tolerable.

Thank you, all of you. I know I can't repay you enough. Just know that I mean it, and hope to be able to help you on occasion too.

[Kara]

Well, since I have been accused of inspiring this post, I might as well share what I said to Peds with the rest of the class.

Of course, before that, I am thankful for my coworkers and RL friends who have been there for me throughout what started as a year of pain and suffering like I had never seen before. I thought it was going to crush what was left of my soul. But my friends helped me back on me feet and have been there for me every step of the way. And as we all know, things worked out in the end. So I'm very thankful for the support and for how my life has completely turned around.

On that note, most of those friends were here. I don't know if any of you have any idea how much I truly love this site and its people. Even before this last year. I've been here for something like 6 years now and somehow became something of a board celebrity back when I worked at T-Mo. Some of you I've known this whole time, some of you I haven't known for very long. But I am honestly closer to cs than my own family. I don't care if that's pathetic. I love our community so much more than I can even explain.

And that goes for chat too, of course. Nights like tonight, when we can all just go nuts and everyone is having a blast and we're all giggling and laughing so much it hurts to breathe... it's so easy to forget what's hurting us in our lives when that is happening.

Thank you all for being my friends. Thank you for being my family.

[Jester]

This very question was posed by one of my friends at their Thanksgiving dinner that I attended.

In no particular order, here are some of the things I am thankful for:

My parents. I have been blessed in life with three wonderful parents, two of them still alive, and having seen how horrible parents can be to their children (such as some of my friends and acquaintances) I am very thankful to be blessed with such wonderful parents. With all their faults--and they have many--they are still three of the greatest people I have ever known.

My job. In January, it will be five years since I left the hotel to come work at The Bar, and I absolutely love it. I work for wonderful people, even if the GM does change ever year or so. I have a great head chef who is utterly brilliant, though of course I would never tell him that, as we enjoy giving each other shit and arguing about sports way too much. But it's great to work in a place that has such awesome food. And it's nice to be trusted by my management to do some of the side projects they've entrusted with me. Kind of cool that I've become the Rum Guy at a bar that specializes in rum, after all.

My friends. Those here in Key West, those back in Arizona, and those scattered around the country. They know who they are, and hopefully, they know how much I love, need, and care for them. Without them, most of what I do would be pointless.

Key West. Yes, I often bitch that I need to be back in Arizona. And I do. But being "stuck" in this funky little island paradise Does Not Suck. It has its moments, and not all of them are great. And living here is not the same at all as coming on vacation. But I am truly blessed to live in one of the most beautiful, fun, funky, weird, wonderful places in this country. The fact that it's virtually a non-stop party doesn't hurt, either.

Beer. Say what you will, but I love the stuff, and even though I drink a lot of crappy stuff cause it's cheap, it is so much fun to try new craft beers. Most of them don't live up to the promise, but every now and then you find a true revelation, and it's all worth it.

Rum. See "Beer" above.

Food. See "Beer" above.

Wine. You get the idea.

Magic. While I may not always like entertaining people, every now and then, true magic happens, and I make someone's day with some silly trick(s) I do. And when that happens, that makes my day. And that is something that is truly, truly special.

My ex-girlfriends. Well, most of them. There are one or two I could do without, and they damn well know who they are. But I have (once again) been blessed to have dated some of the finest, most beautiful, intelligent, and fun girls on the planet. And even when it didn't always work out, the memories and the lessons I took from those experiences were beyond description, and I wouldn't trade them for the world. C, V, E, E, thank you. And M, thank you for everything. You were and are the love of my life. And I hope you know it, wherever you are. And you absolutely changed my life for the better. I think of you every day, and miss you, and can only hope that one day I will find someone to measure up to the ridiculously high bar you set back then in that silly little apartment on this silly little island.

Okay, that's it for me, or I'll get too emotional.

NEXT!

[Der Cute]

I'm thankful that this year was the year of Figuring What the Hell Was Wrong With Me.
My life has been a repetitive cycle, job, no job, job, no job. People told me, cheer up, you'll be fine! See, you can!
But we never did see the root cause until now: Bi-Polar.

I may have ended a long relationship with someone, but I have been able to get myself on a track to recovering. Recovering enough to work again, and being able to deal with whatever a day happens to be. I'm thankful for the team of doctors and counselors who are helping me, teaching me skills and giving me high-fives for the progress I make.

I'm thankful for R who let me house-sit, and gave me shelter for a few months. I'm thankful that Large Charity Here let me move into a place, and not become homeless.

I'm thankful for making a new friend this year. He and I agree it's really being a friend, not just an acquaintance, but we can both trust each other. And he'll back me up if I need it.

I'm thankful that my ex is still being supportive of me and not being a prick about our breakup.

I still think that 2011 has sucked, overall, but with this stuff happening, I can't see 2012 being shite.

[Eisa]

Hmm. Let's see.

I'm thankful for my boyfriend. Without him, I'm fairly sure I would not be here. That goes for the past several years. He's amazing.

I'm thankful for my online friends...which are more than I can count. Several are on this website, however. Also especially love K, J, C, E, P, and R. And I'm going to forget what that all stands for in the next ten minutes.

I'm thankful I'm not on the streets.

I'm thankful for chocolate, tuna mac, and pizza.

I'm thankful for my doggy. Well...parents' dog, but I love him.

[firecat88]

Physically, emotionally, and financially, this year has been weird. Sometimes the good kinda weird, sometimes the crappy kind. Most of it, I've been unable to mention on the forum because it's either too Fratching-worthy or too 'something I don't want to bother people with because they're going through worse than I am' (I know- Shame on me. I'm the one who's usually telling people that venting helps. but I don't take my own advice).

Tomorrow, I find out how much better/worse the emotional and financial weirdness is going to get. I won't go into specifics here because, again, it's possibly too great of a Fratching risk (I'll make a post there. Keep an eye out for it). Through it all, though, there have been things that I'm thankful for:

I'm thankful for my parents. We argue, we miscommunicate the hell outta things. At the end of the day, though, they've helped me through a lot of shit this year that I don't know if I could've handled it alone.

I'm thankful for my sister and my brother-in-law. They've become my 'before I decide to rush to the doctor' doctors. Like I said earlier, this has been a strange year for me physically, and they're usually the ones I turn to for advice first if my body's doing something wonky.

There is a special branch of my family that, in most places, would be called my friends. Whether y'all know it or not, you've helped me by keeping me sane and distracted from the crap that I've been having to put up with, be it through RPing, letting me fan-girl about things, or making me laugh about facedesking drama until my ribs hurt. So, to all of you, thank you.

I'm thankful for books to read, songs to sing, cartoons to watch, the changing of the seasons and the unchanging mountains in my backyard. I've a great many things to be thankful for, including threads like this that remind me of the fact.

ETA: Here's the link to my Fratching post

[BeenThereDoneThat]

So many things to be thankful for...

A wonderful family, including the family I was born into, the one I married into, and the one we have had here since my husband and I have been together, even if it got very difficult with the stepkids sometimes. I have to especially thank my parents who have always been there for me with unconditional love even if they haven't always known how to show it, and for my brother, my only sibling and my closest friend and confidante during our growing up years. I sure miss him and his family...why did we have to end up 3,000 miles apart?

My husband...though he and I have our problems, the love is there, and I'm grateful we've made it this far (together almost 16 years, married for 14).

My beautiful cat who has brought me joy for 19 1/2 years. I hope she will continue to be healthy for a while longer so I don't have to let her go anytime soon.

The house I live in. No house is perfect but I just love mine. Often I have dreams that I have been forced to leave and go somewhere else and I always grieve in the dream...how lovely to wake up and realize I'm still here.

My good friends - real life friends - some of whom I've known for decades and some for less but all wonderful in their own ways.

The people I work with, in both jobs. The call center job in particular can be really tough but at least I know my coworkers care and that makes a BIG difference in a workplace. Without that, I know I would never have lasted there this long.

My fellow bereaved parents (also some grandparents, siblings, and other close family members of people who died too young), who have helped to make the last 7 years bearable. I honestly do not know if I would have survived without others who know what it is like to lose a child. I have also learned a lot about compassion, empathy, and reaching out to others.

Living where I do...near the ocean, in a place that's usually warm and often sunny, lots of cool people around and loads of natural beauty. At this point I can easily see myself staying here for the rest of my life.

Some other things...music, laughter, creature comforts, a good standard of living, generally good health at least compared to many other people my age (and younger), great food, the internet, and a comfy bed to sleep in and take a break from reality for a few hours a day.

And of course...I'm thankful for CS. You guys are awesome.