GIVING THANKS

A friend on her blog (that would be Janet at Quoth the Maven posted a list of 50 things she's thankful for this year. She got her list posted last Wednesday. In line with my current procrastination, I'm getting to my list only now. But doing the list is a great idea.

What am I thankful for this year? So, in no particular order...

1: I'm thankful for paying off my car at last. There's great satisfaction in completing the payment of at least one debt.
2: I'm thankful for my job. Not just the having of it, but for the people I work with -- they're great folks!
3: I'm thankful for the talents God has given me, especially writing. I love storytelling in all forms.
4: I'm thankful for health. Minor colds are a bother, but compared to what others have to deal with, they're very minor.
5: I'm thankful for all my friends, in all my circles of interest.
6: I'm thankful for the internet, which is an amazing communication tool, and has made many of my friendships possible.
7: I'm thankful for my church, even in times of turmoil.
8: I'm thankful for my apartment - even though I'm finding it small these days, I still love the neighborhood and the general location. And having a roof over my head is a good thing.
9: I'm thankful for good movies when they come along, because they inspire me as a writer.
10: I'm thankful that I (apparently, and I hope it stays that way) have no allergies. An acquaintance who was at the same Thanksgiving dinner I attended related how he'd discovered that he's recently become allergic to cranberries - and he loved cranberries. That made me conscious of my own fortunate state.
11: I'm thankful for DVD collections of television shows: I love TV and I love the storytelling in certain series. To have them at hand in this compact for, with the extras of commentaries, that also inspires and entertains me.
12: I'm thankful for books in general. In many ways, they still beat techno-gadgets for the transportation of storytelling. Besides they don't need batteries.
13: I'm thankful for J.K. Rowling and her Harry Potter books. I admire her storytelling skills and planning, and I admire the way she's inspired legions of children to plunge into very long books without complaint. Besides, I like the story myself.
14: I'm thankful for not being the slave of fashion trends - especially when it comes to the current trend in women's shoes. Who thought bringing back those long narrow pointy toes was a good thing? I'm happy with my sneakers, thank you very much.
15: I'm thankful that I live in this day and age. As an academic, I'm a medievalist. But I have no desire to live that life. I'm quite happy with indoor plumbing and flush toilets.
16: I'm thankful for my graduate education. I did well as an undergraduate, but I absorb things fairly easily. Graduate school made me go deeper in learning things. It really taught me how to dig, analyse, and learn.
17: I'm thankful for the literature of the past. It inspires me, and reminds me that human nature doesn't change much through the ages.
18: I'm thankful for being a storyteller. It's so much fun.
19: I'm thankful for being an artist, even if I haven't done much artwork in recent years. It's another form of communication and allows me to express aspects of myself that words can't convey.
20: I'm thankful for every one of the evenings where I come back to my apartment and find a parking spot near the apartment.
21: I am thankful for my family: we may be far flung and not great in regular contact. But we do love each other. And that's precious.
22: I'm thankful for the Thomas Guide of Los Angeles. Even after being here a long time, there are times when I still need it.
23: I'm thankful for the open road, even though I don't often have the chance to "get away". I love driving, when I can just go.
24: I'm thankful for the beauty of mountains. They lift up my heart.
25: I'm thankful for living in Southern California. No snow to shovel.
26: I'm thankful I'm an American -- because ours is a cultural mindset that questions things and thinks that change is indeed possible. Born of revolution, we still think things can be turned over.
27: I'm thankful for music, of all sorts.
28: I'm thankful I was raised to listen to all sorts of music, to hear the music itself and not the genre.
29: I'm thankful for the English language. It's such a wonderful playtoy for a storyteller. It happily absorbs terms from other languages without it seeming odd, continually enriching itself and making itself more precise and variable.
30: I'm thankful for Shakespeare. I love the plays and I love the way the language is used. Always an inspiration and a model to strive for.
31: I'm thankful I studied Latin. It tidied up my grammar, and helped correct some of my chronic misspellings (not all of them, but some).
32: I'm thankful I can touch type.
33: I'm thankful for Amazon.com. My favorite place to shop for books and movies.
34: I'm thankful for my many interests. If I'm bored, it's because I'm bored with myself, not because I have nothing to do or interest me.
35: I'm thankful for living in a multicultural city: the variety is wonderful. Plus you can find any kind of restaurant without traveling ungodly distances.
36: I'm thankful for vanilla. I love vanilla. Plain vanilla ice cream, not so much, but French vanilla yes. And everything else vanilla.
37: So, of course having said that, I'm thankful for chocolate. And now studies are saying that dark chocolate (which I especially love) can be a healthy thing for you.
38: I'm thankful for the fellowship of Premise. Prayer is a powerful bond.
39: I'm thankful for the Mythopoeic Society. The friends are great, and it's an arena that lets me indulge my recreational scholarship whims.
40: I'm thankful for my computer. It serves me well.
41: I'm specifically thankful for the gang at the Dixonverse message board. Being the moderator is a challenge at times, but in the end, worth it. They're good people.
42: I'm thankful for the LabRats. We may be far flung, but it's a great cyber coffee klatch.
43: I'm thankful for the tram drivers at the studio. They're great guys and often help get the day started well with their friendly attitudes.
44: I'm thankful for Carel & Coleman Luck. Carel & I bonded over artwork, the shared outlook of visual artists. And Coleman always challenges me intellectually, and won't let me off a hook. A wonderful friendship with wonderful folks.
45: I'm thankful for Janet & Lee Batchler. Good friends who are generous when they can be, and faithful.
46: I'm thankful for Sally Smith, who's become a closer friend this year. She pushes me to write better, and I appreciate it.
47: I'm thankful for Kyle Ferdstead. Best friend and a good prayer partner. And her husband Kelly, who is my pocket computer guru.
48: I'm thankful for my friend Chuck Dixon, comic book writer extraordinaire. He always manages to surprise me with his story twists. He makes it look easy. But he is a complete craftsman.
49: I'm thankful for Denny O'Neil - sensei and inspiration. His work has long inspired me.
50: And lastly, but hardly the least: I'm thankful to be alive.