Everyone is getting into the Christmas spirit already, but we can’t forget about the day where it is acceptable to eat as much food as possible, plus an extra helping of mashed potatoes, Thanksgiving! This is also the holiday to give thanks for everything and everyone we have. The recent election has begun to divide us as a nation and we are starting to forget to love one another and to be thankful to live where we do and for the things that we have. There are unlimited things to be thankful for but this is just a short list to sum up just about everything we should be thankful for in our lives.

Family

This one may be pretty obvious because the majority of us are thankful for the families that we have, but I think we tend to forget how extremely important our families actually are. Our family members can drive us crazy and be so embarrassing most the time, I know because this is how I tend to feel about my family. As you get older you start to get less and less embarrassed by them realize how important my family is and how much you love them. With all the stresses in life and everything that has been going on in the world, everyone needs to remember how lucky they are to have the families that they do. Yeah, they can be annoying but your family will always be there for you no matter what. They will have your back in any situation even if they don’t particularly agree with what is happening. For me personally and I know for a lot of people, family comes first. They don’t care how weird you are because most likely, you got your weirdness from them!

Friends

Just like family, friends will always have your back no matter what. When I say friends, I mean real, true friends. The ones who never leave you no matter what happens, the ones who fight your battles with you, who love you for who you are and not what you have. Friends are so incredibly important to have, even if you only have one or two. These are the people who will listen to your drama repeatedly but still listen and complain with you. When you’re around them, they bring out the best in you when you feel like the worst. So many happy memories are made with these amazing people and they make you smile when you’re at your lowest point. Cherish your friends, they are important. Especially the ones that live far away, those friends will have a special place in your life. I am so thankful for the friends in my life, they make me so happy and I don’t know what I’d do without them. The ones that are meant to leave do, but just remember that true friends won’t ever try to hurt you or bring you down. They are more than friends, they’re your second family.

Pets

The animals in your life are pretty important. Animals are sometimes better than people, which is something I believe wholeheartedly. Pets are the best things on this planet because they actually don’t care who you are, they will love you with their whole being. You probably annoy them with your love and they run away from you sometimes because of this, but they always come back to cuddle and love you. Pets are loyal, adorable and will help you relieve stress. Animals are scientifically proven to help with depression and anxiety. We don’t deserve these animals but we will love them till the end of time.

Teachers/Professors

Everyone has those teachers that were terrible in some way. These people should not cloud your judgment of other teacher/professors that you will have in the future. Most of these educators are trying their best to educate you in the best way possible so that when you graduate you will have the brightest future that you possibly can. Teachers are here to expand your mind and to help you learn more about the world and how it works. Bad teachers/professors are only a small minority out of every teacher/professor that you will have in your life. Seeing you fail is not their goal because it is their job to help you succeed. Be thankful for the great educators in your life because they will be the ones that you will end up thanking later in life.

Yourself

It’s going to be difficult to want to be thankful for yourself. Trust me, this is not a selfish thing to think, it’s the opposite in fact. There is only one you in this world and you should be thankful to be alive and well in this world. You are here and need to realize that you are more amazing than you think you are. The things that you are capable of doing are endless and you should be proud of how far you have come in life so far, even if it isn’t that far, you’re farther than you were before and that’s enough. Be thankful that you are living this life and that you’re not starving or homeless. Don’t be so hard on yourself because you are better than you believe that you are. Surround yourself with the right people and you’ll start to see the best in you come out and hopefully realize how great you are. Be thankful for yourself because you only have this one life, so make it the best life you can possibly have.