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Feeling Pretty Thankful

It’s Thanksgiving here in the States, and I’m feeling pretty thankful. While the day is reserved for turning hand tracings into turkeys, it’s also a good day to highlight what I’m thankful for this year:

I’m thankful that we have a backyard that the cats can go [potty] in, because I was tired of cleaning that litterbox. (And I’m also secretly glad that our neighbors have a ridiculous cat that comes over and starts trouble with ours, because when they pile into the bushes out back and cause the shrubbery to vibrate with their Andy Capp-style battles, it cracks me right up.)

I’m thankful for our family and friends, who have helped Chris and I adjust to our new lives as “parents” and who make “home” a place that matters. We’re so glad to be sharing this chapter of our lives with the people and in the places we love the most.

I’m thankful for having good enough health to take it for granted, and to actually have the luxury of feeling frustrated when I’m “sick” because it’s such a foreign concept.

I’m thankful for the wonderful work opportunities that have come up in the last few years, specifically for the companies and organizations that have embraced the voices of patient advocacy and who have decided to become part of the conversation.

I’m thankful I have an insulin pump and a continuous glucose monitor that can help me make sense of the holiday meals. Also known as: “Pie? Yes, please.”

I’m thankful that the lady across the street doesn’t judge me when I wander in the front yard to check the mail, clad in workout clothes, slippers, a sloppy ponytail, usually with the baby strapped to the front of me a la Bjorn, my cell phone secured to one ear, pump tubing swinging in the breeze, and an army of cats weaving in and out between the maple trees. She must think I’m a work-from-home crackhead.

I’m thankful that the Internet has brought a group of fellow PWDs (people with diabetes) into my life, and that I’m healthier and more informed as a result. To boot: I’ve made some very close friends through these bloggy blogs, and I’m grateful for their friendship every day. Life is good when you’re surrounded by those who don’t make their own insulin. (And let’s not forget that I’m also thankful for Abby the Person, who already rocks.)

I’m thankful for my husband, who is my best friend, my partner in parenting, my editor, and remains my hero. And I’m thankful for my healthy and extremely happy baby bird, who wakes up every day with a smile, and helps me to do the same. I didn’t realize how much I missed her until she arrived.

And with that, I’m thankful for video:

*This blog post was originally published at Six Until Me.*


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