November 2012 Thankful List

At the beginning of November, I saw a lot of people posting their 'thankful lists' and jumped right on board. I'm so glad I did because I have such a great appreciation for everything in my life, even more so than I did before. 

1 – Father-daughter time. Today my dad had a meeting in Cambridge and met me for lunch. I don’t get alone time with him too often and we had so much fun, just talking and laughing.

2 – My BFF Sam. Today was her 24^th birthday and even though we couldn’t celebrate together, putting together and sending out her gifts made me realize just how great of a friend she is.

 

3 – Student Workers. Without them, today’s seven-game home schedule would have been impossible. They have been great all year, but were super clutch today. I didn’t think I’d find great student workers at a Division I school, but their dedication to everything amazes me every day.

4 – The ability to run. Had a great six-mile run this morning and even though it was a crisp 28 degrees at the start, I enjoyed every minute of it. Running has become a big part of my life – I run when I’m happy, sad, stressed, whenever I really want and some people don’t have that ability.

5 – My physical strength. I joke all the time about my muscles and my manly build but I am forever grateful that I am healthy and strong enough to do things I sometimes think are impossible. Even when it’s moving an endless amount of tables and chairs.

6 – Warm clothes. We are going through quite the below-normal cold spell here in the Northeast and my longer-than-normal walk to the bus stop would have been much worse without them. Such a simple thing that I’ve taken for granted a lot. 

7 – My sister and her ability to text me at just the right time. Today I got a ‘good morning’ picture from her that absolutely started my day off on the right foot. I swear our brains are wired together sometimes. 

8 – Electricity. Today we had our second significant storm in about a week and there are so many people who are still without power from the first one. 

9 – Teamwork. The amount of teamwork that goes into making a basketball game go off successfully is outrageous. Without it, though, basketball games would be a disaster and tonight’s home opener went great.

10 – Co-workers. They not only make my job easier but also fun.

11 – The love my parents have for me. Dad missed an entire Sunday full of football to spend the day with Mom and I. We had a great day and I love that they are willing to take time off for me.

12 – Veterans. I can’t be more grateful for the people who risk their lives day in and day out to protect people they don’t know. 

13 – My iPhone. I know this sounds materialistic, but really, I don’t know what I’d do without this thing, especially living in the city. I use it for everything – work, the bus schedule, staying in touch with all my long-distance friends and so much more.

14 – My people skills. Without these, I wouldn’t be able to lead meetings, speak comfortably with my peers and supervisors or produce quality work at my job.

15 – My organizational skills. Without them, I would be even more stressed about the upcoming events this weekend, but I am confident that it will go smoothly.

16 – My growing Harvard family. I’m really enjoying my time at Harvard and the people I work with – from student-workers that come to say ‘hi’ during athletic events to Athletic Directors that hang around post-game to make sure I’m all set.

17 – Harvard Alumni. I met so many awesome people today that took the time to tell me stories of their past at Harvard while I escorted them to the Stadium.

18 – Being a part of one of the oldest rivalries in college football. I still can’t get over how cool yesterday’s game was and I am so grateful to have played a role in the successful event.

19 – Sleeping in. Day 1 of my seven-day vacation began sleeping in – something I never really got to appreciate until I wasn’t able to do it anymore.

20 – Sister time. No matter what we do, as long as we are together we have so much fun.

21 – My mother’s never-ending love. She accompanied me to the oral surgeon today just to keep me calm and entertained on the way to my appointment.

22 – Family photos. One of my favorite things that my family does every year and a great thing to look back on as the years pass.

23 – Family time. I’ve had so much of this the past week, and truly enjoyed spending the night Black Friday shopping and out to dinner with Mom and Shelley.

24 – Long-lasting friendships. Tried on bridesmaid dresses for the wedding of one of my best childhood friends today.

25 – Home-cooked food. There’s nothing like delicious food cooked by mom, especially around the holidays.

26 – My health. I can’t believe I waited this late in the month to mention that. I am pretty darn lucky that my biggest worry has been a root canal.

27 – My safe drive back to Boston. Barely any traffic and a super smooth ride back home to bang out a busy month at work before Christmas in Maine!

28 – The simplicity of Wednesday night basketball. A small crowd was welcomed the nightafter a quite stressful televised game. I got to actually enjoy the game and catch up with some of my coworkers.

29 – Thursday night phone calls with my grandparents. No matter if they are 10 minutes or an hour, my weekly chats with them are always seem to lighten my mood and remind me how lucky I am to have them.

30 – Old pictures and the power of laughter. I was super stressed this week and having an especially hard time today until Sam sent me pictures of us from last year. I temporarily escaped and did a whole lot of laughing, even if it was via text.