Yes, I am aware it is not Thanksgiving yet. No, I do not believe that we should have to wait until one specific day to express how grateful we are for things in our lives. Life has been hard lately, and I'm trying to deal with it the best I can. I recently had a long chat with my favorite professor that started with looking at life through another's point of view, and ended with her telling me that sometimes hard times get a little easier when you take a moment to appreciate the small things. I figured it couldn't hurt and spent a long while thinking about it, and despite everything being difficult, I still have so so much to be grateful for every single day. To serve as a silly reminder for me that it really is the little things, and hopefully a laugh or two for you, here are 30 things I am truly thankful for:

1. friends that tell me I look like hell and should probably wash my favorite sweatshirt

2. friends that lie and say it's totally fine to wear it for one more day

3. that the temperature is low enough in my room to wear said sweatshirt to sleep and still be under all my covers and not die of a heatstroke

4. that it's November and still warm enough for me to wear Nike shorts to leave my room

5. that it's November and I still get football for three more weeks #SMTTT

6. that I get to spend my weekends doing what I love marching with The Pride

7. which happens to contain some of my closest friends and party fellows

8. a roommate that will come with me to get chocolate milk at various times of night

9. technology that allows far away family to be a call or text away

10. families that are not biologically mine but that are also family

11. OEC

12. a wonderful human I get the pleasure of calling my boyfriend

13. Halloween is only 351 days away (I know Halloween just happened, leave me alone, I love Halloween)

14. shelter doggies that are always happy to see you

15. even when it's bath day, they are so excited

16. the kitty cottage

17. that BA feels the need to water her cactus

18. that Pokemon GO is a thing and somehow still fun

19. how freshly washed sheets feel on freshly shaved legs

20. the smell of rain

21. campus kitties that let you kind of pet them

22. If You Feel Too Much by Jamie Tworkowski

23. regulars at work that just know how to make my day better

24. the friend I unknowingly found in my favorite professor

25. putting on my favorite sweatshirt when it just came out of the dryer and is super warm (totally just did that one)

26. Ben&Jerry's Half Baked ice cream

27. that colored pencils are a required material for my A&P lab

28. Loca the Pug

29. my boyfriend's jacket that he doesn't know I have (lol sorry)

30. Lady Gaga's new album Joanne

I know all of these are a little silly, but they are some examples of small things that I enjoy and appreciate about life. This list in no way captures all of them, either. There is much to be thankful for.