it's the little things

taking stock of the small joys in my life pre-thanksgiving

We are always talking about the big things we are thankful for - friends, family, good health - but I think pre-Thanksgiving is a good time to take stock of all the little things that create joy in your life, to acknowledge the bits and pieces that make up our days and weeks and years, and how those little joys added up keep you mostly sane (and look for the comment button at the end so you can tell me your small joys).

I am thankful for food, of course, but not all food brings me happiness the way chicken frances or cacio de pepe or pizza do. I am thankful for all the tacos I’ve eaten and the bowls from Kai in Massapequa with the pineapple and ponzu sauce, for the chocolate layer cake from Umberto’s, for Australian licorice and Reese’s peanut butter cups, for ice cream sandwiches and freshly made waffles.

I have gratitude for the hydrangeas in my front yard, which continue to bring my sustained joy year after year, for the colorful impatiens that exploded all over my yard this year, for summer sunrises and fall sunsets, for the first snow and the first buds on the trees. Nature fulfills me, makes me feel whole when I feel like I’m falling apart. I’ll look at the way the clouds are tinged with pink at dusk and just marvel the power and grace of nature. The beautiful colored trees in the fall, the lush landscapes in summer, the rain when we need it, the snow when I don’t have to go anywhere, I am thankful for it all.

I appreciate the music in my life, that I have entire catalogs of my favorite artists at my fingertips, that there are so many different kinds of music, different sounds for different moods, some that lift me, some that calm me, some that make me cry, but all of it puts joy within reach. I am grateful to be able to listen, to be able to share all that I listen to. To Queens of the Stone Age, The Mountain Goats, The National, Kevin Devine, and countless others, I am thankful for you and all you have given me.

I am thankful for baseball and hockey, for the distraction from daily life they provide, for the reasons to cheer for something when there is nothing else to cheer about, for the joy of home runs and overtime goals. I’m thankful for Sunday football in the winter, for pitchers and catchers arriving in February bringing the hope of spring with them. When I was on my couch for six weeks after my surgery, it was baseball that kept me company. Sports can be bad and frustrating, but they can also give you an instant high and bring you joy.

I’m thankful for so many little things. My warm, fuzzy blanket and my cozy slippers. The stack of books I have waiting to be read, my records and CDs, the band hoodies I bought to get me through the winter. Seltzer and oat milk, rainbows, the cat family that roams the block, a good cup of herbal tea, a short commute, a good night’s sleep. All these things add up to great joy, to happiness and comfort and a sense that all is not bad in the world.

I’m grateful for all the usual big things and I might write more about that next week, but here, today, I am giving thanks for the small joys. Why don’t you tell me yours?