Top Ten Thankful List for Thanksgiving

Today I am posting my top ten thankful list. 2020 has been a difficult year full of challenges that aren’t over yet. Plans changed and our traveling has been very curtailed. But there are still so many things for which I am thankful and I thought I would share my top ten.

Top Ten Thankful List (not in order of importance)

A corona-team. When the coronavirus first started to limit our lives, Tom and I were working at Fort Frederica National Monument. From March through June, our corona-team was our coworkers. We all limited contact with outsiders and just hung out together. We kept working but away from the public. The park was closed during most of these three months, so it was easy. We worked together, ate together, and played together. Back in Ohio the corona-team has been John and Jackie, Mom and Dad, and Tom and me. They are the only people we eat indoors with or do anything with. If it wasn’t for these folks, I think I would be very depressed at this point. I am thankful for and blessed by my corona-teams.
A house of our own. The coronavirus made Tom and me realize that we needed a home base. Campgrounds and National Parks closed. Much like the government shutdown two years ago, we weren’t sure what to do or where to go. I don’t deal well with uncertainty, so having a house of our own where we can spend all the time we need to away from people has been wonderful. Plus, all the house projects have given us a good to-do list during a time when a lot of things are to-don’t. I am thankful for our little house.
Friends and family who love me even when they don’t see me. Usually in November and December we are gadding about spending lots of time in restaurants and homes with family and friends. Not this year. In order to keep our corona-team safe, we have all agreed to limit our contact with others. I am very thankful that people I love keep calling or sending texts and emails. Everyday I know that people love me and are thinking about me. I am thankful for people who let me know I am loved.
God who reassures me. I am so thankful that I have a history with God. It would be easy to fall into despair. But I can look behind me and see the hundreds of ways that God has been with me through difficult times. So I know I can trust him to be with me and help me through these present difficulties as well. The God who never changes holds me and will see me through, no matter what happens.
The blog. My blog will never go viral or have thousands of followers. The people who know tell me it isn’t focused enough on one subject. That’s okay. I am thankful for the 100 people who regularly read my blog. Each time I sit down to write a post I think of you and know that I am not alone in this. I really appreciate those of you who take the time to comment on posts, either through Discus or by sending me an email. I am thankful when you let me know that my writing matters to you. The discipline of the blog over the last 6.5 years has kept me focused. I am thankful for the people who take time to read my blog.
Hobbies that give me something to do (and write about!). Weaving, spinning and knitting are still things that take a lot of my time and attention. I’ve been doing more baking. I average two books a week with reading. And, when we spend time with the people on my corona-team, we play games. Now that I have a table, I can do jigsaw puzzles again. I also like to play Candy Crush Saga. I started playing it when I retired and am now on Level 4,185. Not exactly lighting up the e-games circuit, but it has been fun. I should probably narrow my hobbies down a little just so I have more time to spend on them but they are all so much fun. I do miss my music, but I try to take advantage of Mom’s piano when we get together. I am thankful that I have solitary hobbies I enjoy as well as ones that make me reach out to other people.
A bike path and park across the street. I love having this resource so close. I can enjoy walking every morning. Tom and I often take walks together in the afternoon. If it is raining I can still get a walk in later in the day. The other day I was grumpy and realized that I needed to get outside and walk. Get those endorphins working for me! I am thankful for this beautiful and convenient place to get outside.
The end is in sight. I am thankful that a coronavirus vaccine is being developed by reputable companies. It appears the vaccine might be available toward the beginning of next year or shortly into it. I am also thankful that we will have a change of president in January. The lack of leadership and the chaos from our current leadership has increased all the other stresses of the last year. I am thankful that we will soon be back to normal levels of dysfunction.
Unlimited internet. This probably seems like a silly thing, but Tom and I are really enjoying our unlimited internet. For six years we had data limits on our cell phones. And, when we go away from our house, we are still limited by them. But here in the house, thanks to Spectrum, we can download, stream, and use as many fast gigabytes as we want. We have been taking full advantage, streaming about half of what we are watching on television. It will be shock to have to limit ourselves again when we hit the road. (Unlimited mobile plans aren’t really unlimited.)
Curbside pickup. In the new reality of this last year, Tom and I have come to rely on curbside pickup. We order our groceries online and then pick them up. We order takeout online or on the phone and then pick them up. When we need something at Menards or JoAnns or Best Buy we order online and then pick the items up. I miss going in stores and shopping for myself and the grocery thing is sometimes hit or miss. But my life is easier and safer because so many stores have been willing to stretch themselves.