megfowler.com

When I play Trivial Pursuit, I always get the pink wedge first.

There is no such thing as, “It smells terrible, but it tastes great.” People always try and convince you to try random items from crazy places with that logic. But there is such a thing as, “It smells great, but tastes terrible.” For example: soap. And old ladies.

I am mildly obsessed with farmyard chickens. Whenever I see one, I want to take a picture. I don’t know what I’ll do with all my chicken pictures, but you can’t deny that “chicken pictures” is an awesome phrase.

50% of the time, the second wedge I get is orange.

I don’t understand people who can’t taste the difference between diet soda and regular soda. It’s like saying you haven’t noticed that someone switched your refreshing beverage for battery acid.

I am only photogenic under very controlled circumstances, much like certain types of bacteria.

Third wedge? Totally blue.

There are two things in life that turn me into a flapping lunatic: bees, and walking through spiderwebs. And Sephora. But that’s in a good way.

I don’t like spice racks. The stuff in the jars always gets dusty and scary and decrepit-looking, and makes me want to put labels like “eye of newt” and “tail of black cat” on them.

Has anyone ever had a good experience sitting in the middle seat of ANYTHING?

All those “Cash 4 Gold” ads confuse me. Who has gobs of gold lying around? It doesn’t seem like a very good business model to target pirates and leprechauns.

Sometimes the blank canvas is much prettier than the art.

Crazy high heels DO make your legs look good, but only if you manage not to walk like you’re a part of the Moon Landing. Or a jellyfish on stilts. Or like your underwear is made out of sandpaper. Or like you’re the Tin Man’s less-flexible sister. Or like… okay, okay, I think you get it.

I love lists.

In fact, I love “love lists”, which is why there are so many of them on my blog.

Today’s list isn’t a love list (though it may resemble one when I’m all done), but rather a “thankful list.”

I’m always thankful for the things I love, mind you, but I wanted to put my whole focus on thankfulness today, because I find that’s something easy to forget to be.

So without further ado…

THINGS I AM THANKFUL FOR

My family
My friends
Love
Hope
Peace
Faith
Trust
A fantastic temporary home where coffee is miraculously made for me in the morning
The smell of rain after a run of dry days
A run of dry days
Opportunities that are both intimidating and amazing
Toothpaste
A year mostly lacking in pneumonia — which sets it WAY apart from the previous two
Parents who stand with a net below my leaps of faith, just in case
Friends who make me laugh
Friends who laugh at me
Music so lovely I can’t help but cry
Going places I’ve never been before
Eyeballs and ears that work
Goofy teenage boys to keep me up-to-date on the latest weirdness on the internets
Being accepted for exactly who I am, but being encouraged to keep growing
Places where I can be heard, online and offline
Antihistamines — because life without them would be CRAZYTOWN
Good writing that inspires me to do better with my own
The sound of birds singing at 5 am
Solid advice
Fresh flowers
Singing
Hard-won solutions to problems
Losing a little weight, without doing anything crazy or dangerous to make it happen
Hours spent cooking
Having my ideas challenged, without having them discounted
The use of a good camera
Cheesy TV shows that distract for just the right length of time
iChat — which enables me to smile at people who are far away
Tough experiences that teach big lessons
Ginger molasses cookies
Lemons — made into lemonade, or otherwise

Here’s my challenge to you: list ten things right now that YOU’RE thankful for.

Go!

I’ve spent a lot of time with you lately.

And it’s been fine, really. Fortunately, you don’t mind spending time with my other friends, Joyful Anticipation, Giddiness, Living in the Moment, and Ardent Distraction. In fact, you seem content to take a backseat when they’re busy carrying on giggly, happy conversations.

But as of late, I feel like you’ve become a bit pushy.

A little adamant.

A little singular.

You pop up at the beginning of every morning, capturing my attention like a blinking red light in front of my face… and you don’t disappear until just before I fall asleep at night.

(Which seems to take a while, what with all that red blinking.)

So I’m a wee bit over it.

Granted, you’ve been a part of my life for years, as various changes and roles and developments were pending. You’ve actually always been there, in some respect. Which is why, until now, I’ve just turned a blind eye when you get particularly ferocious.

I mean, you’re a part of everyone’s life, in one way or another.

But just now?

At this point?

After all this time?

Yeah.

Buzz off, and leave a message for your friend “IT’S HAPPENING NOW!”

Because I’m ready to talk to him, and no one else.

Love,

Meg