12 Unique things that I'm thankful for

1. My bunny slippers. You haven't lived if you've never hopped around the house in bunny slippers. Also, put them in front of the heater and then they're warm and toasty and twenty times better than they usually are.

2. Dark chocolate peanut butter cups. Whoever made them first was a genius and they have my eternal gratitude. They're even better than regular peanut butter cups.

3. My little 'dumb' phone. Yes, I still have not joined the ranks of the iPhone army, much to the chagrin of almost everyone around me. There are definitely times when it's a pain in the butt and I wish it was a little bit smarter. But my Brave Little Phone has endured so much and comes up swinging every time I drop it, I don't think I could bear to part with it. 

4. That this happened:

5. And this:

6. And this:

7. PRiMA theatre. Not only am I doing work that I love, but they're flexible with my schedule and wonderful people to work with! It's been such a blessing to be able to get my "theatre fix" every week, while still being at home.

8. My experience at NTI. Not just incredible people, but an incredible opportunity to hone my craft and learn so much. Plus I met John Krasinski. And Hal Prince. And Paula Vogel. And Hunter and Jeff. And our class got a personal email from Sarah Ruhl while we were working on Eurydice. Just saying. #braggingrights

9. My weekly tv nights with Sara. I didn't grow up watching tv. And I definitely never got to have "tv dinners." But something that started with "Jason's going out tonight, want to come over and hang out?" turned into a weekly time of fellowship and food. That makes it sound so official and pretentious... Basically we eat pizza and watch Project Runway. And Bones.

10. Speaking of Sara.... this little bundle of joy. She's the only baby in my life and I'm loving it.

11. Books. I've always loved to read, but didn't have as much time as I would have liked in high school and college. Now that I'm done with school, I'm discovering that love again, and it's been wonderful.

12. Puzzles. Mom and I do puzzles together over the winter, when we both have more down time. My dad thinks we're crazy. But we love them. And we're crazy about finishing them. 

Thanksgiving

It's that time of year where suddenly people are expressing their gratitude all over Facebook ("One thing I'm thankful for every day until Thanksgiving!!") and various social media outlets. Don't get me wrong, I'm not strictly opposed to the idea. I think it's great when people are verbal about the things that they're thankful for, especially when we so often forget to tell the people in our lives how much they mean to us. But I have to admit, at times it gets a bit generic and boring and insincere when I scroll through my newsfeed and see that every person that day happens to be SO thankful for their amazing friendfamilymembersignificantother who is just so wonderful and means so much to them and they just couldn't live without them, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

I think it made me realize that I don't want it to be that way. I want my friends and loved ones to know ANY time of the year how much I appreciate having them in my life. I don't want them to go one day without knowing that I care about them all SO MUCH and that I wouldn't want to do life without them. I want my family to know every time we see each other that I love them and cherish them, and that I always will.

So I'm starting a Thanksgiving resolution. This year, I will make sure my friends and family know how much I love them, and how blessed I am to know them. I will continue to do so throughout the year. I will not wait for Thanksgiving time to make sure they know that I'm brimming with gratitude. I will make this a part of my regular, day-to-day life! Every day will Thanksgiving... a day to give thanks.

And also, in the next few weeks I'll probably post a list of all the things I'm thankful for aside from my family and friends (things like my bunny slippers and dark chocolate). Because I just like lists.