I am writing you today from the living room of my Daddy's house. So far, I have eaten about 12 Sister Shubert's cinnamon rolls/pigs-in-a-blanket, smoked turkey, broccoli casserole, mashed potatoes, stuffing, congealed cherry fruit salad, and marshmallow fruit salad (that I love, but my Daddy thinks is disgusting. He's clearly wrong.) and I still have dinner at my mother's house to look forward to. If I don't throw up today, it will literally be a miracle. It's been a lovely day already, what with the eating, watching Good Morning America (highlight: when Juju said "Now, the cookie is turked..." Gah-leeee. So funny.), Dexter and Parenthood with my mom and Noah while Daisy had a global kitten-spaz and spending time with my Daddy, G, Aunt Kathy and Pop.
I just love Thanksgiving.
This is due to all of the things listed above but also because I can't think of a better idea than an entire day dedicated to family and reflecting on all of the things in our lives that we can be grateful for, as there are certainly a lot. So, today, I am going to bore you with all of the things I am thankful for, hopefully distracting me from eating another giant mound of marshmallow stuff.
I am thankful:
1. For my family. They are the people who know me better than anyone in the world, and love me anyway. I've said before that you don't get to choose your family, but if I could, I'd still choose them. They are the funniest, kindest, most encouraging, supportive, loving, wonderful people in the world and I would not trade them for anyone. Not even Johnny Depp. And that's a bold statement.
2. For April. The Thelma to my Louise (or the other way around. I didn't really think that metaphor over in depth...). She has been my friend for 5 years now, but it feels like 5 lifetimes. I am so lucky to know her and I miss her constantly. (Dear Chicago, thanks for stealing away my best friend. You suck. Love, Hayley)
3. For Gail. I love her better than cheesecake, and you know how much I love cheesecake! Gail is my Chattanooga mom, my go-to hang-out person, the Queen of Sunday Funday, my confidant, my support, my favorite photographer, my friend. If you don't have a Gail Lindsey in your life, I feel sorry for you. I wouldn't be the same without her.
4. For The Island of Misfit Musicians. My Chattanooga family. These are the people I love more than my luggage. They are the people I spend the majority of my free time with. They are the people I love and who I can depend on to love me. I can always count on them to be there for me and I hope they all know that the reverse is also true. They are what keep me in Chattanooga. They are the people I "come home" to. I love you guys.
5. For Butch Ross. My lunch/dinner/breakfast companion. My cheerleader. The person I can depend on no matter what. The Sonny to my Cher. Ellie's dad. You deserve more gratitude than I can begin to express. You mean the world to me. Thank goodness for your presence in my life.
6. For Sara, Kathryn, and my North Shore Yoga family. For giving me such a happy place to work. For putting a smile on my face every day. For making me feel loved and healthy and strong. For supporting me and allowing me to be who I am and helping me to learn to love that person. For being my sanctuary, my joy, my peace. Thank you for changing me and giving me a clearer picture of what I want out of life.
7. For Katie, Pamela, Robyn and Stori. The greatest friends a girl could have. My high-school best friends. The prettiest, silliest, sassiest, most brilliant, kind, compassionate, creative and loving women I know. I miss them constantly.
8. For Rachel and Allison. My sisters. I miss you ladies so much and am so proud of you and can't believe we've been friends for almost 18 years. It's amazing and I love you both so much.
9. For my Chattanooga Theatre Centre family. My first home in Chattanooga. The place that I go when I'm feeling dramatic. The place I get to be someone else. The place I get to be creative. The place that lets me dance and sing and act. The place that makes me laugh. The place where I laugh and laugh and laugh and then, I laugh some more. The place where I get to see some of my favorite people in Chattanooga being brilliant onstage and off. I love you all.
10. For Olive and Daisy. The best kitties in the whole entire world!
11. For all the amazing people in my life mentioned here and those that I am forgetting. I love you. You all make me who I am. You give me a reason to wake up in the morning. You make my heart swell with joy and gratitude. I am better for knowing you. Thank you for being you.
I love you all. Happy Thanksgiving!
xoxo,
Hayley
P.S. I am also thankful for: love. yoga. sunshine. smiling. Hello Kitty. live music. photographs. laughter. memoirs. tv on dvd. nicknames. dance parties. ice cream. silliness. snail mail. old friends. new friends. facebook. children. NYC. the beach. airplanes. diet coke. scarves. fresh flowers. kindness. charity. honesty. opportunity. open-mindedness. change. growth. beauty. joy. peace. gratitude.
Hayley-
ReplyDeleteYou made me cry. And that's really hard to do! You have no idea how you are making me change my thought processes. You've inspired me to attempt to be more tactful and less (outwardly) snotty. That's hard for me! You do much more for me than you know. I think I'm gonna get a bracelet made that says "WWHD".
Love you back!
Gail