I am Thankful

I take walks to the Hudson River to see if the Statue of Liberty is still standing. She is. And straighter since Joe Biden and Kamala Harris won. I am thankful they are taking the helm.

Despite how hard it has been not seeing my children and grandchildren for so long and how much I will miss them on Thanksgiving, I am thankful I have a sweet, beautiful, healthy family to miss and celebrate with in the future.

With 2020 being a hell of an awful year, I still have other reasons to be thankful. They include:

1. Picking up a chicken on Thanksgiving from Danny Meyer’s Daily Provisions

2. And Facetiming our loved ones during our meal, then afterward taking a walk

3. I am thankful I can walk

4. And have work that excites me

5. I am thankful for my upcoming January 2021 Zoom play reading at the Jewish Repertory Theater of Western New York

6. And for the January 2021 Strand Bookstore Zoom writing workshop I will teach

7. I am thankful my memoir “Finding Mr. Rightstein” is on the Strand memoir table with those of the Obamas, Anthony Boudain, Trevor Noah, Mary Karr, Tara Westover, and David Sedaris

8. I am thankful I teach, that Jill Biden does too and that we can say bye, bye to Betsy the present education head

9. I am thankful for the healthcare workers who have been in the trenches saving lives

10. I am thankful for the loyalty and support of my friends

11. I am thankful that despite forgetting words and misplacing keys and glasses, I have not yet put my shoes in the fridge

12. I am thankful for kindness

13. And empathy

14. And for people who majored in both

15. I am thankful I am getting better at establishing my priorities

16. And that my loving, forward-thinking parents introduced me to a big world

17. And taught me to enjoy my own company

18. And be my own person

19. And make family, humor, reading, and work I am passion about huge parts of my life

20. I am thankful I have good doctors

21. A great husband

22. And that you are reading my blog

23. I am thankful I am here giving thanks

24. And that Daily Provisions, where we will get the chicken, is providing the cranberry sauce.

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!