Grateful…
For blue skies
For the sun that makes our days just a little bit brighter
For driving…with the windows down on sunny days, listening to blaring music – while the hair on our heads dance in the blowing wind for us as we remain stationary in our seats
For music and having no fear of reaching “maximum volume”
For the friends that share in these California drives with us, and the adventures that come about from them
For the New York subway system – simply because of those who dance on the train and shamelessly make the platforms their stages
For the opportunity to travel the world
For home
For airports and the big, welcoming signs within them, held by the hands of loved ones that jump up and down and run to us from across the terminal before we hug them with all our might
For old friends and new friends – the ones that were born into our lives from the start, and the ones that come up out of nowhere, like sparks that jump out of a fire pit at random at a bonfire on the beach
For the beach – the vivacious crashing of the blue waves and the sand that collects between our toes
For the sweetness of maple syrup that seeps between our fingers, making our hands stick together like paws
For s’mores and ice cream and cake and sprinkles on everything, and for indulgence
For the warm cups of coffee in the morning that steam in our faces and pair perfectly with yesterday’s leftover chocolate-chip cookies that we nibble on – and for the crumbs that spill all over the sheets
For the yearning eyes that beg for a bite that belong to the faces of our furry four-legged friends
For clouds that force us to be cozy
For waking up in the morning
For late night conversations about television and music and art and love that unravel into morning
For love
For heartbreaks that make the experience of love somewhat worthwhile
For hopelessly hopeful romantics that believe in love as their religion
For romantic comedies – and all comedies for that matter
For age-old tradition and for breaking tradition, and for collecting its broken pieces to craft new rituals and beliefs that open new doors for generations to come
For youth and for its fresh voices – and for past generations whose voices will echo eternally
For calling “wrinkles” “laughter lines”
For growing up but never growing old
For making mistakes and learning from them – and laughing at them, and then making new ones again
For laughter
For our flaws and imperfections and for celebrating them with pride
For presents and gifts wrapped in glistening metallic wrapping, with bows the size of our faces stuck on top of their boxes
For family and loved ones and seeing them smile
For champagne and flying corks that weave through streaming rainbow confetti
For birthdays and anniversaries and New Year’s Eves
For wanting to believe in magic
For butterflies – the thousands in the sky and the millions in our stomachs
For the experiences that hurt us so deeply and push us to the ground that give us no choice but to get up and move forward in the direction of progress and eventual triumph
For victory and for loss – and for the distinction between the two that we think exists
For the rain that trickles and then pours from the depths of the sky, that quietly tap our windowpanes, drench our clothes, and drown our inhibitions
For tears
For the little things that turn out to be big things
For weekends, and knowing that Monday is only temporary
For the chance at an education that makes us question why we ever wanted to become a doctor or a lawyer in the first place
For those brave enough to dream of being astronauts and olympians when they grow up
For time
For strangers that surprise us with delight – momentarily or for a lifetime
For eyes that capture a world’s worth
For the promise of a new day and a fresh start
For vibrant sunsets that radiate hope for tomorrow, with shades of blazing red, crimson orange, glowing violet, and electric blue that all bleed into one another and glare before us
And for our beating hearts of the same warm hue, that keep us alive and enable us to helplessly gaze at many more sunsets to come.
