a time to be thankful

as my favorite holiday approaches, and the year starts to wind down, i am starting to get a little reflective. today i read an article in entertainment weekly by stephen king, which mentioned writing a gratitude list around thanksgiving. i think this is a great idea, and over the next couple days i'm going to be thinking about who and what i want to include on mine. stephen's, of course, was all pop culture related, but i think i will stick to personal things.

i will tell you what i am not grateful for this year: the failing economy. it has put me on edge and stressed me out to no end. i'm still worried about my job and racking up a high credit card balance that i can't pay off. so happy i paid off all my debt three years ago...only to end up in it again at the worst possible time. no worries, though, its not that bad...yet.

oh, and i'm also currently working on dropping the 10 pounds i've gained thanks to the perfect storm of a foot injury, increased stress and increased alcohol intake due to work events, growing social calendar and new boyfriend. so, that means more salads and more gym for me in recent days. i don't think its working, and thanksgiving will undoubtedly hurt my efforts. oh well. its my favorite holiday because its all about food and you better believe i will be enjoying my favorites like turkey, gravy and stuffing -- and PIE -- without abandon next weekend.

but its all okay. this time next week, i will be sitting on the couch at my parents' couch, curled up by a fire (hopefully) with some yummy bad for me dessert by my side. and possibly a nice warm cat cuddled there, too. and then i will spend a couple hours at the gym working it off. hooray!

ahh i love the holidays.