A Thank You List

It’s my favorite of the four seasons and next week is Thanksgiving.
At work, we were asked the question, “What are you thankful for?” – for a special newsletter that the company was putting out. While I gave a short list of safe, popular answers, it made me start thinking of my real list. A stream of consciousness list. A list that I would hardly craft.

Note that this is also a work in progress list. It’s long and it should be. And it will only keep growing. In fact several times while driving I have come up with more things to add. Here goes.

I am thankful for:

-knowing that I do not know everything
-man’s resilience; man’s ability to transform and reform
-waking up everyday
-CHANGE
-the DVR box
-design and concept
-imagination
-Disney
-wishes and dreams
-a Mom who’s “too much”, a Dad who is modest, a brother who is coolly understanding, an uncle who is wonderfully eccentric, another uncle who is artistic, aunts that are also girlfriends, cousins and friends who are my cheerleaders, and a nephew who looks like me
-music, movies, dance and fashion
-being able to look at darkness
-Daniel Craig–well, add Johnny Depp, Ewan McGregor, Christian Bale
-family and friends STILL loving me after they see the real ME
-challenges that enable me to grow
-variety in the world; our differences that mixes it up
-brilliant people who inspire us
-French anything
-not being literal
-being easily amused
-Autumn and all its scents
-multi-purpose things
-canvas bags
-a sense of humor
-Trader Joe’s and frequency cards that eventually give me something for free
-the REVERT TO SAVED button
-Photoshop
-not being afraid of cutting my hair short
-yoga and that thigh machine
-appetizers, entrees and desserts
-“color”
-new ideas
-hair gels, straightening irons, mascaras, lipstick, oil-free moisturizers, bootleg pants, flip flops, wedged heels, pedicure spas, concealers
-Saturday mornings and Sunday brunches
-coffee!!!
-Sugarfree, Fat-free, Lo-carb and Lo-cal anything, that has flavor
-real Yogurt (not the overpriced Pinkberry stuff)
-gratitude

…to be continued.

It’s a good time to make your own list. Because there will be days when you will forget all about them, and that’s when you’ll need to remember them the most.

Now, pass me some pumpkin pie.

Late Bloomer

A few months ago, I got my very first, brand spanking new car. Now I am not fresh out of College so it may seem odd to just be getting it now. But for someone who has lived majority of her life in big cities, it has never been a need. But LA demands a car. A reliable, agile car, that hopefully wouldn’t stop in the middle of its crazy, unforgiving highways. So finally, I understand the meaning of that new car smell that everyone raves about. Wow...power windows?! Yahoo.

This reminded me of what a best friend once told me. She said it seems to take me awhile to get the things that I wanted, and not only that, but it also seems to be a harder process for me to get them. And she was absolutely right. She then added, “but when you get them, it’s very very good, and pretty wonderful.”

I'll have you know that I only just found out how much of a girl I truly was a few years ago. In fact, make-up, fashion, exercising and eating healthy…boys, didn’t really become part of my repertoire until I was a working woman. Looking at 12-yr olds these days, I feel like such a prude. i-Pods and cell phones are only recent buddies of mine. The i-Phone? Let’s talk in 5 years. I guess this is also why I treasure what I do have. Because it took a lot for me to get them.

Last week, I had my birthday.
It was also the first day of the new President Elect.



I couldn't have imagined a better birthday gift. It was a new day for me, for the country, and for the whole freakin’ world. It took America a very long time to get here, but it got here.
And it is damn wonderful.
And, it is not too late.

Later that day, I saw an abundant Wishing Tree in a Pasadena plaza and I couldn’t help but add a few wishes of my own.



I didn’t wish for my wishes to get here fast, but rather I wished for them to linger, to last when they do get here.
Because it doesn’t matter to me if I am a so-called late bloomer in many ways, as long as when I get it, or when I get there,
it’s the real thing.