gratefulness

I have so much to be so grateful for right now, but of course I've been nothing but miserable (at least inwardly miserable) for days. It's just so hard to see outside myself sometimes, & as selfish as that makes me sound, it's so true. So to snap myself out of this ridiculous, stress-induced funk, I've decided to make a list of things (typical & not-so) that I'm grateful for (just a tad bit late for Thanksgiving, I realize):

-my huge, confusing, beautiful family.
-my friends. everywhere. houghton, naz, & scattered in various places across the globe. I wish I could gather you all in one place sometime. I'm positive you'd all love each other.
-the bird singing outside my window at this very moment, reminding me that spring is somewhere in our future.
-beauty. there's so much of it in this world that it overwhelms me. constantly.
-the fact that it's solely my prerogative whether I choose to capitalize sentences or not.
-words, music, & art. without these, life would be so plain. I'd also be a lot less geeky, which would be kind of boring.
-my two new jobs, neither of which have started yet (which gives me a solid week & a half to get my act together).
-grad school. it's one of the hardest things I've ever loved.
-my lovely man (have I mentioned that this list is not at all in order of importance?). luke is at the tippy-top of my friend list, but he really deserves a number all to himself. he's my very best friend, & I can't even begin to explain how happy I am to have him in my life.
-of course, jesus. I really & truly cannot conceive of a life without faith. oh, I'm sure it can be done. it's just that I don't want to try it. & while I'm on the subject, boy, has my faith ever changed in my (almost) 24 years on this earth. if I could go back, I certainly wouldn't change anything, but I'm very glad to be just exactly where I am.
-& if I'm being really honest, I have to include myself in here somewhere. when no one else is around, it's just me, god, & the dust bunnies. I'm learning to enjoy that quiet space.

Jack Kerouac, who happens to be one of my favorites (haters: don't even get me started.), includes this in his Belief and Technique for Modern Prose:

"Be in love with your life"

I intend to.