I am celebrating the holiday this year not in the historical tradition, with all the painful and problematic luggage it carries, but in the simple, literal, and  commonly-accepted meaning of the word: thanks-giving.

The world’s a shitshow right now.  We all know that.  But.

I am thankful to be here, where ‘here’ is among friends and family in both the physical and virtual worlds.

I am thankful to have siblings (blood  and marriage) who can and will drop everything to be there when I need them, and be what I need rather than what they might think I should need.

I am thankful to have local friends who are willing to just sit with me, to listen to my fears  and/or distract me from them.

I am thankful to have  friends who, though  far away, are comfortable picking  up the phone (or chat room) to check in, without adding pressure on me to be social or Perform Health.

I am thankful for animal companions who trust me enough to curl up at my side and purr in healing frequencies.

I am thankful to have readers, patrons, clients, and bosses who have shown such patience and understanding in the delays this illness has put on my work, allowing me to resume that work at a sane(er) and healthy(ish) pace.

I am thankful that I  was put in the hands of a surgeon I trusted immediately, who repaid that trust by being careful and cautious with me.

I am thankful that today – even facing an uncertain medical and financial future – I am in a place of comfort, support, and cautious hope.

Also, I am thankful for pecan pie.