Tweetsgiving is fast becoming one of my favorite online traditions. If you’re not familiar with it, the goal is to help change the world by getting people to take a minute and express gratitude. Starting yesterday, people have been giving thanks on Twitter and blogs under the “tweetsgiving” umbrella. (Jason Falls and my mom have a few of my favorite posts thus far.)
What am I thankful for? I don’t even know where to start …
- I am thankful for my husband, who is endlessly supportive of me. He’s been telling me for quite some time that I should start my own business. I couldn’t do what I’m about to do without his encouragement Plus, I’m very thankful that we have similar tastes, from sports … to home decor. It makes marriage pretty easy. At the same time, I’m thankful that he can put up with my love of the Yankees, my aversion to eating a lot of meat and my girly-TV guilty pleasure!!
- My family rocks. I have awesome parents who are my biggest cheerleaders, always in my corner rooting for me. I consider my brother one of my friends. My grandparents taught us the importance of family, a lesson I will always be thankful for. I have fantastic in-laws that I enjoy spending time with. Honestly, I couldn’t ask for a better family.
- I’m thankful to members of our military and veterans who continue to sacrifice and put their lives on the line. I’m just as thankful for their families. Having a son/daughter/brother/sister/husband/wife/etc. serve overseas is crazy difficult on the families left behind. I’m thankful that they “share” their brave loved ones with the rest of us.
- My “real-life” friends are like family to me. There are no words to describe what my friends from high school, college, and now the people that I’ve met in Florida mean to me. But, trust me, I’m beyond thankful.
- The four-plus years I’ve spent at Costa DeVault have been amazing. Working for Linda and Nathan has been such a positive, learning experience. I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, and it’s hard for me to articulate how much I value my time with them. My co-workers (who are too many to name here) are super talented and I really am going to miss them when I move to Ohio.
- I’m thankful for all the new connections and friends I’ve made in the past year. Who would have thought that 140 characters could lead to relationships with smart, insightful people who are always willing to let me pick their brains or just chat about whatever is going on in our lives? The list is way too long, but I’m especially thankful for people like Arik Hanson, Lauren Fernandez, Rachel Kay, Todd Pippitone, Sonny Gill, Chuck Hemann, PR Cog, etc. I also appreciate people like Jason Falls, Chris Brogan and Beth Harte who continue to keep us on our toes and ask the tough questions.
- I’m thankful for people like Danny Brown, Sarah Evans and Shari Orr (who runs the Coalition for the Homeless’ social media), who continue to find news ways to use social media for good. Creativity and innovation, FTW!
- I’m thankful for my health — and for the fact that my friends and family are all in relatively good health.
- While we all probably know someone who has lost their job or is underemployed and struggling through this economic downtown, I’m thankful that most people I know have been able to stay afloat (and even thrive) during this challenging time.
- I’m thankful for everyone and anyone who has taken a minute to wish me luck, lend their support or refer me to potential clients as I get ready to start my own company. And, I am especially thankful for the businesses and nonprofits that I’m already working with.
This list is getting long — and could go on and on. The point is this: I have a lot to be thankful for. And, if you’re still reading, I bet you do too. I’m also thankful that Tweetsgiving forced me to sit and write this list. Note to self: Pausing to reflect and give thanks is something I should do more often.
What about you? What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?