Just so Thankful...

~"I am thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out my nose."~ Woody Allen

    I was in the grocery store a few days before Thanksgiving...getting some last minute necessities (pizza), when I bumped into an old acquaintance.  She happened to glance down at my cart- and she said "I guess YOU aren't doing any cooking for Thanksgiving.".."Ummm..  "No..Omar does most of the cooking.".."Well , you know...YOU had BETTER appreciate him!" Huh? I wasn't really too sure how to respond to that..I mean really-what do you say?  "Great Idea! I'll start doing that right now!...Let me just pay for this pizza first..." ?  Honestly, why would anyone assume from frozen pizza,  that I don't appreciate my husband?  Why do people do that?  It isn't just about husbands..it can be anything. Just take a look at Facebook.

  A few years back I posted something like "The kids are finally in bed-hooray!..can't wait till they are old enough to put themselves there.." Instead of the "likes" and camaraderie I expected-I got "Oh...they are only this little once".."I hope you appreciate it because they grow so fast"..."you are going to look back on these times and miss them (smiley face)"  What is it with this shaming?! What-I'm not allowed to want my kids to grow up?  Are you serious? I'm giddy with the thought of it! And you know what?  They do all put themselves to bed now-and I don't miss those times one bit-not even a little. I love my kids..I have loved every stage of their lives..Sometimes I think that I even overly love them.."Mama..I'm going outside."  "O.K. Buddy, give me a hug..I love you! " "Umm I'm only going out to the garage."  "Well a lot can happen between the door and the garage.." "Mama!"

  There isn't a day that goes by that I don't appreciate all that I have. I am a lucky woman-I have a great family, a roof over our heads..we're healthy, we're happy. I am thankful for it all...but come on-just how consciously thankful does one have to be all the time? I mean doesn't anyone have to pee?(although I'm sure that there is someone somewhere who would LOVE to tell me that I should be thankful for being able to do so!) Or sleep? Can I not be thankful for being blissfully ALONE without someone telling me how much I'm going to miss my kids one day? Is there a "Bureau of Thankfulness" that I don't know about that weighs and measures each persons thankfulness and places them on some sort of top secret list of thankful behavior?

  I happened to notice that people in the month of November (Thanksgiving month for all my non U.S. friends) started doing this Facebook trend kind of meme.  For every day of the month-they would mention something they were thankful for. Now, that in itself is a lovely thing.  There is nothing wrong with sharing all that you are thankful for (with your 50 billion friends). Every day, I would see some wonderful posts from people being thankful for their families, friends...even coffee. But, by about the eighth of the month or so...people were running out of steam.  They had already listed everything...and yet, they still had twelve days left. Things got a little creative after that.( "I am thankful for sidewalks.") Mostly they just started rephrasing everything they had already listed. I found it amusing. But, that's just me..(.I've probably been blacklisted by the Bureau of Thankfulness for this...)

  So, This Facebook thing got me thinking...Aside from family, friends, pets, nature, a roof over my head, health-and all that those things encompass...what else should I be thankful for?Am I thankful enough? So, just in case... I made my own little list.
 "Ten other things I am thankful for but may have failed to mention-but  proves that I am appreciative of all things all the time every moment of every day-the end." 

1.  I am thankful that cats don't have thumbs. If you are or have ever been a cat owner-you will understand.
2. I am thankful that (so far) there have never been any monsters under my kids beds or in their closets when they have asked me to check (and Omar was out of town)
3.  I am glad that said monsters have also not appeared in my closet or under my bed.
4. I am glad that my children no longer watch PBS kids..and I look forward to the day that I forget ALL the dialogue from Thomas the Tank Engine (including songs) so far-the latter has not happened but I am hopeful.
5. I am thankful that my house is in a perpetual state of remodeling-because when anyone comes over, I can explain the mess by saying "we are remodeling" even though the mess has nothing to do with remodeling and everything to do with my being a crappy housekeeper.
6. I am thankful that one of my daughters has a field trip tomorrow-so both my girls won't be home(fighting) and the house will be quiet-even though I'm DEFINITELY sure that I will look back on and miss these times with great sorrow because they have grown up so fast..(not)
7. I am thankful that I can now use the bathroom by myself..although I promise to look back with great sorrow that my kids have all grown up so fast and no longer need to accompany me to the bathroom..
8. I am thankful for my bathrooms. (if you have been reading me for a while-you will understand this) And if anyone asks-I am thankful that I have bodily functions..I hope that I never look back in sorrow because they have gone away.
9.I am thankful that my daughters no longer listen to Katy Perry's "California Gurls" over and over again. Although the lyrics(like all the Thomas Train stuff) have been burned into my brain-which is a good thing...because when I look back all sorrowful that my kids have grown up-I will always have Thomas...and Katy to remember them by.
10. I am thankful for my zombie display...even though the recent spate of bad weather has destroyed it and I might have to take it down..Although I might leave it up anyway and say it's a mess because we are remodeling...

  So, Thanksgiving  has come to an end..or at least the holiday has.  We had a lovely day surrounded by family..We ate the wonderful meal the husband I appreciate prepared, we drank..we made merry..It was everything it was supposed to be..And yes-I was thankful..