Giving Thanks

It's Thanksgiving morning, and I'm having a nice cup of homemade mocha in a coffee mug that was a gift from a dear friend while we were in Florida together last week. The mug is from a coffee shop near the beachhouse we rented to hang out and do some writing. The coffee shop was rather like the Cheers bar, but with better pastries. The locals were friendly and laid back, and for someone like me, someone always in a "hair on fire" kind of hurry, it appeals to me on a level so basic, so amazing, that I almost can't fathom it.

Now, reflections of last week make especially good sense right now, since it's a day when we reflect what we're thankful for, when we consider why we're happy to be alive. There are some books and some music that make me truly happy, but more than anything, I am human, and there is that connection to other human beings that is paramount to living a sweet life.


So here's a list of the things I'm thankful for:

1. good health
2. Mom & Dad
3. my brothers, nieces, nephews
4. having the money to travel to the beach with my friends
5. the ocean
6. Dock of the Bay and other amazing songs by Beth Hart, Macy Gray, Van Morrison, and Pink
7. dark chocolate
8. places that amaze and inspire...the Seine, sidewalk cafes, Lake Lucerne, the West Highlands of Scotland
9. images that strike a chord...like those by Amy Brown, Kate Dawidziak, and my Changeling cover artists
10. the color orange...as seen in Florence, Italy and in Gulf Coast sunsets
11. BBC America, Biography & Sci Fi shows...Horatio Hornblower, Night Detective, Hex, Firefly, Battlestar Gallactica
12. tactile sensations...like a guy's breath in my ear or the feel of warm, solid muscles under my fingertips
13. vivid colors... red hair, red lips, red paint, blue eyes, green eyes, lemon and lime slices
14. the quiet of my world at 3:30 am
15. novels, too many to mention, and memoirs...like Mary Karr's The Liar's Club
16. best friends...Maddy & Gavin

Have a safe & happy Thanksgiving Day.