I am thankful for...

My life.

One year ago I was dreading Black Friday in a job I hated. I had just made the biggest mistake of my life. I felt...awful.

But this year, I'm in a totally different place. That mistake came back to bite me, but I was not left unprotected. I left the job in favor of something else, and that opened the door for me to do a lot more.

I'm taking steps toward establishing an actual career rather than just...changing jobs. That's a big deal to me.

I could be happier, but anything worth having is worth waiting for.

I am living through an exercise in patience. Maybe not patience. Maybe a lesson in listening to my first mind instead of my impulse. Until now, impulse has always won. Even when my mind was slowing me down, my impulse pressed my foot harder on the gas pedal.

As I look down the road toward my next birthday, I am learning to temper my impulse.

Good thing my birthday is after the holidays, cuz I just KNOW I'm gonna make some irresponsible choices on December 26th. Black Friday be damned. The day after Christmas is when the REAL sales get popping.

One year from now, I will be having this same reflective moment. I will be missing home badly, but I will be ready to visit for Christmas. I will have taken my next big step. I will be on the down side of my 20s, speeding rapidly to 30, and loving every moment of my life up to that point.