Thanksgiving and another birthday have passed and while I will do a big year reflection at the end of the year, I want to look back a bit.

There’s a lot I am thankful for. My health, my family, our relative wealth that enables us to buy a house, have a great Thanksgiving, visit our family for Christmas and a supportive family that enabled us to have a beautiful wedding. The very important friendships that keep Bear and I going. All of these things I strive to never take for granted. Bear and I have material possessions that make our lives easier. We have jobs which is never a small thing, but is even bigger in the current economy. We have a great apartment without even looking for a house. We have really awesome people that we get to talk to on a near daily basis. We have each other.

But I’m not focusing on that, despite it being very very important and relevant to the season. I instead want to talk about how far Bear and I have come. In the last two years we’ve gotten married, made friends, lost friends, lost family, traveled, helped friends financially and emotionally and physically, we’ve started the process on buying a house, we’ve bought appliances and participated in the craziness that is Black Friday, we’ve fed family and had them visit. Bear and I have gotten closer to each other and our families and friends. We’ve saved money. We’ve lost weight. We’ve gained weight. While this list isn’t everything and maybe even if it were it wouldn’t be as momentous as some people’s lists, I like to revel in Bear’s and my life. We work for it and we enjoy it and each other. I think this Thanksgiving is about more than giving thanks for me. This Thanksgiving was about knowing that I’m enjoying my life and living it. That no matter what tomorrow brings, I’m so happy that Bear and I were here and that we lived and loved and tried.