Happy Thanksgiving student blog readers!

Finals are fast approaching; the next time that I write I will be close to halfway done with all of my exams, hooray!!! ‘Tis the season where people connect with friends and family, reflect on the condition of the world around us, and are inspired to give just a little more. With the passing of the recent holiday, gratitude and the benefits that being grateful can have on various aspects of mental, emotional, and physical health has been a much talked about subject.

However, the holidays can sometimes be challenging, which is how I came to find myself thinking about how to continue being thankful when mentally you might not be there. Living with a never-ending list of To Dos is quite daunting. So, when I came across the idea of “the reverse bucket list,” where instead of writing a wish list of all the things that you would like to accomplish, you write down all that you have already done, I felt like it could be the ticket to maintaining gratitude even in adversity.

I am lucky enough to be working toward my dream, and being a student I have lots of opportunities to see progress in the skills I’ve have gained, and changes to the way I think about and solve problems. The list of things that we accomplish in this program is always growing, as is the list of people who help in the accomplishment of those things. I would never have gotten to this point without having a team of terrific professors willing to share their knowledge with me, and my awesome school friends who keep me focused and offer support when things get rough. There are so many reasons to be thankful!

This year was probably the quietest Thanksgiving break that I have ever had, not to mention it was the most time that I have been able to just hang out with my kiddos in months. There was still studying to do, because there is always studying to do. My daughter spent a lot of time “studying” with me. She sat nearby, colored, and made sticker pictures. You know, it’s been a while since we had a heart-to-heart talk. The latest exciting news in her life has to do with the Madagascar hissing cockroaches that she made friends with at the local nature center. She said that they were so cute and tickled her hand when she held them, and “Oh Mommy, cockroaches are so nice, can a cockroach come and live with us?” I told her that as lovely as that’d be, I am sure they would be happier at the nature center with all of their friends.  : P 

There was time for lots of chats, some cooking, and crafts–the slow pace was so strange and enjoyable. As I am writing this, I am receiving notifications that schools, both the kiddo’s and mine, are closed for tomorrow due to the weather. That’s Chicago weather for you; I am excited to have an extra day with them, to share in all of the little moments, and have some play time in the snow.