thankful n' thoughtful

for some strange reason, i'm doing NaBloPoMo this month -- like i'm not busy enough: auditioning hither and yon; working on new songs and other material; scouring the apartment and donating old clothes and whatever else i can get my hands on, for the year-end tax write-off; decluttering for the holidays and the get-togethers that may happen at my place; working out everyday (and seriously thinking about doing a triathlon in february).

this month's theme is thanks. when i had a moment to give this some real thought -- what am i thankful for, anyway? -- this is what immediately came to mind.

1. God's presence in my life
2. God-given favor
   
3. God-given talents
4. my intelligence
   
5. my good health -- physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually
   
6. my permanent boyfriend
7. my family and my friends who are my family and my soon-to-be family
   
8. my place in the south
9. my southern upbringing
10. my ability to make things with my hands and to make things grow

and then there's other stuff:

1. a strong sense of personal style
   
2. the steam room and the sauna at NYSC on 125.
   
3. freakin' FAIRWAY, and all the incredibly delicious stuff in it. (and so nearby...)
   
4. i've lived in the same 2 bedroom apartment in west harlem since 1999. (wow.)
   
5. i can play the guitar now. never thought that would ever happen.
   
6. i've never been arrested/i've never spent the night in a jail/prison/holding cell or hospital.
7. great ideas come to me all the time. i don't have to look for them. they come to me.
   
8. my hair in its natural state
   
9. my permanent boyfriend's appreciation for my natural hair
   
10. and last but not least...those crispy fatty duck rolls from my favorite spot in chinatown. oh, heck. chinese roast duck, period.

i'm sure i'll be writing about more of this stuff in detail. but for now, this is what jumped out at me.