10 Things to be Thankful For

I shouldn’t use the Thanksgiving holiday as my only time to reflect on what I am thankful for. It should be an ongoing task, recognizing all that I have been given and all that I have to look forward to in the future. However, that is not going to stop me from posting another list of “10 things.” So one this particular day, at this particular moment, at this particular point, I would like to share 10 things I am thankful for.

1. My life - it’s a beautiful adventure.

2. My family - they are my blood and I love them and miss them so much.

3. My comforts - I don’t have to worry about where I’ll be sleeping tonight or where my next meal will come from. Unfortunately, many people in the world are still not able to have these comforts to be thankful for.

4. My Shanghai “family” - these people are what help keep me going in this crazy, insane city. They’ve got my back and I’ve got theirs.

5. My ability to understand Mandarin - it’s not perfect but I know enough to be able to survive. It has definitely made my move to China a lot smoother.

6. My health - yes, I have weird joint pains like the muscle/ligament/something in my right knee that will painfully pop out of place sometimes, but I’m surviving.

7. My U.S. passport - it lets me travel around (most of) the world easily. Chinese people (the locals) remind me how lucky that I have an U.S. passport so that I am not restricted in moving around. I am also reminded of the freedoms that we Americans have when compared to Chinese citizens. There are a lot that we take for granted to have that the Chinese take for granted to NOT have.

8. My internet connection - Even with the Great Firewall of China blocking my internet access to certain websites (facebook, blogspot, just about anything to do with Taiwan) it still allows me to maintain contact with many people. The way that technology has evolved I can turn on my computer and video chat with people on different continents across numerous time zones. I can send an email or attach a document that will arrive in a few seconds to its intended reader. I can send text messages to American cell phones with instant messenger. We’ve come a long way from messenger pigeons.

9. My patience - most people say that I am pretty mellow and easy going. I don’t think many people have ever seen me angry before. I don’t know whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. But I do know that if I had let every little frustration get to me and be blown out of proportion, I would probably have turned into a huge mess by now.

10. Chocolate - seriously, chocolate tastes good. How could you not be thankful for something so delicious?

Of course I have more to be thankful for, but it’s called a “10 things” list for a reason.