tyler butler

Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving is a bit of a non-holiday to me. The problem is that it comes to close to Christmas. Heck, I started hearing Christmas music in the grocery store the week before Thanksgiving. What’s up with that? Anyway, this makes the third year that I haven’t done anything for the holiday. I got invited a few places this year, but frankly, I wasn’t in the mood. I felt like I needed some serious alone time (which is weird, because I am alone most of the time anyway), and I have definitely gotten it this weekend. But I realized that a lot of the posts – heck, all of the posts – I’ve made today have been pretty negative, so I guess it’s time to be positive and post some of the things I am thankful for. This is a Thanksgiving tradition, I guess, but I was reminded to do it after I read Kristin’s post about it on her and her husband’s blog. Thanks for the reminder Kristin. (I also read about her baking peanut butter cookies for Marco. Lucky guy, that Marco.) Anyway, here goes:

  • Friends: The transition to living in Puget Sound hasn’t been easy, but it would have been harder if I didn’t have some awesome friends that make an effort to keep in touch, come to visit when they can, and generally do their part to keep me in good spirits.
  • A good job: I complain a bit about my job, but I am thankful for it. Relative financial stability is a wonderful thing, and I know I’m in the right line of work for now.
  • My desire to continue learning and improving myself: Not to toot my own horn, but I am thankful and proud that even though I am out of school and am a working stiff now, I continue to try and learn new things and improve myself. It’s not just the learning, either, but also the physical stuff I am doing for my body and self. Losing weight has been tough, and two years in braces won’t be easy (I start the orthodontic journey January 6th, wish me luck), but I am thankful I have a positive attitude about it, and am proud of myself for doing these things instead of just pushing them aside or to the back of my mind.
  • Music: I guess this is a little over-indulgent, but I am thankful for music. Both music I listen to and music I write/perform. It’s such an important part of my life – I don’t know where I’d be without it. I have a hard time remembering what life was like without an iPod these days.

I guess it’s kind of short, but it’s my list.