I have always dreamed of what it would be like if snow was warm instead of cold.
As I write this blog post, the skies over Canton, Ohio, are filled with fluttering flurries floating to the frosted ground. The wet streets outside of 4150 Belden Place are being swarmed by the locals, all whom are deeply engrossed in the pre-Thanksgiving hustle and bustle that seems to usher in each holiday season. If anything, watching cars seems more like watching metal, mechanical animals migrating through the roadways that glisten beneath headlights and shop signs.
Thanksgiving is here and, along with it, it brings a sense of self-reflection that has a tendency to make us all look back at not only our year and what happened to us but our whole lives up to this point. I’ll be the first to admit it, I’m glad for holidays like this. As we get older, Thanksgiving gives us a much deeper pool of hindsight to jump into, and that is what I’m about to do myself.
I am thankful for…
- My job at Incept. It wasn’t until I started working at Incept that many opportunities opened up in my life, especially working directly in social media, working in a leadership position, and actually having a job where my creative skills are challenged. It is a place where I am able to be a director, editor, and writer all at once.
- My mom. Easily, she is the strongest woman in the world in my eyes. My mom serves as the head of my household at home and takes care of my terminally ill dad, who has had an extremely severe case of Multiple Sclerosis for my whole life. If it wasn’t for her, our family would have fallen apart by now.
- My friends. The people I share many of my life adventures with are very close and dear to me. I come from an incredibly solid group of friends. They have been there for me in both awesome and rough times and have made me feel like people care about me in this world when it has been difficult to perceive that.
- My imagination. I feel as though my imagination gives me a constantly different recognition of the possibilities I am able to accomplish. People have always told me I dream too big, and I never have listened. Why limit yourself? It is because of my imagination that my creativity grows, and that is something that is important to me.
- Bass guitars/playing music. Music is the language of the soul. It is how the mind speaks when our mouth fails to find the right words. Ever since I was about fifteen years old, and I bought my first bass guitar at a secondhand shop, I’ve played music to have fun, to socialize, to create, and to tell the world how I feel. It is an outlet for me.
- My Camaro Z28. I’ve owned a few sportier cars, but the (1995, six-speed) Z28 I own takes the cake. It is red, loud, and fast. I’m in the process of completely rebuilding it. Part of the reason I wanted a car like this is my father’s love for muscle cars from when he was my age, and I wanted him to see that his son was so much like him. With my Dad being so sick and bed-ridden, I haven’t ever had the chance to do many activities with him. When my Camaro comes out this spring, I have made it a goal to literally pick my dad up, carry him to the front seat, and take him for a ride in it. If you can’t tell, my love for my car is about more than just a car.
- Being alive. For every sad moment in my life, I’ve been granted a euphoric moment in return. Life runs in a pattern of high points and low points, and I find it important to learn from every experience I have. There are days when I drive to work and feel the sun on me and look at how beautiful everything around me is and I am never hesitant to feel a genuine thankfulness that I am indeed alive. This world is an ugly place at times, but I won’t let that be the death of me.
It is amazing how writing can also make you reflect on yourself.
Enjoy this holiday with your family and friends, but I encourage you to also take some time for yourself and wander into your own past. Recognize what is important to you. Recognize the good things that you have going for you. Recognize how amazing your life can be and has been to this point.
What are you thankful for