Top 10 Tuesday: Thankful
This week is Thanksgiving week in the U.S. which set up the "thankful freebie" for this week. Thanks to Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl for hosting another week of Top Ten Tuesday. I enjoy participating each week for a couple reasons. I'm a compulsive list maker and love a good list. And, I love a connection with other readers as I wander their book blogs.
I read on a couple of blogs that they've done the 'traditional' thankful posts several times so were going a different way. I haven't participated in a Thankful post before and I did think of a couple ways to spin this to focus on books. So I thought I'd do a blend -a few personal things I'm especially thankful for AND some bookish things. So a few things I'm thankful for - the big ones first. Here goes.
First and foremost - the family (our trip to Puerto Vallarta a few weeks ago). I love all these kids!
(the boys are ours :)
2 - our health. Hubby and I are almost 70 and I feel so very lucky to still be in good health. We have no medications or special diets, which feels like a bit of a miracle. I hope it stays that way for years and years. (he hates selfies but sometimes that's the only way to get both of us in a photo!)
3 - hobbies. I'm so grateful and lucky to have the space, time, and encouragement to pursue my creative interests (of which there are many!). I sketch, paint, crochet, make greeting cards, etc. and I have a dedicated art room to keep the mess out of sight! It's a small room, but mighty!
Sketch: a house in the Green Lake area drawn at an Urban Sketchers meet up.
4 - our home. We bought this house 3 years ago and just love it. I bet there's not a week goes by that one of us doesn't say, "I LOVE this house!" We remodeled shortly after moving in so it really feels like us - we love its smaller size, the view of the mountain, our gardeny yard, the neighborhood. We love all of it. Everyone should be so lucky to have a place they feel is just perfect for them. It only took us 40 years, but we finally found our forever house.
5 - gaming. As in board games/card games, nothing electronic. Our family plays them constantly and hubby and I play regularly.....usually cribbage. It's such a great way to bond and have a good time.
A favorite sunny afternoon activity is to have a drink or two on the deck along with a rousing game or two of Kings Cribbage (I've been on a winning streak lately!)
Our family Christmas day? We eat, drink, and play poker all day. We laugh and yell and bet .25 and just have a great time!
BOOKISH THANKFULNESS
6 - my bookshelves. Grateful that I have space, grateful that I have books because they just make me happy. Going a little far afield here, but grateful for authors that write such amazing books.
7 - And I am grateful for the blogging community that I'm gradually becoming a part of - I learn from each and every one of you!
8 - bookmarks. I have quite a random selection of bookmarks because I can't stand to put a book upside down or to fold a page. I've been known to resort to whatever I have on hand, a paperclip, a kleenex (clean!), a leaf. But these days, I use one of my bookmarks. This is my current favorite - it's laser cut wood!
9 - specific books/authors. It is hard for me to land on specific books or authors because that seems to be an ever evolving list. But here are a few I'm thankful for:
Louise Penny and her amazing characters in Three Pines
Island of the Missing Trees - a book I didn't know I needed that touched me and pushed all my buttons
N.K. Jemisin whose sci-fi / fantasy books opened my eyes to the best of the genre
Fredrik Backman - I will read every word he ever writes
The Spear Cuts Through Water is another surprising book that touched me this year and is the first book that came to mind as I tried to think of impactful books.
I really don't have any specific books that were transformational to me or my life. I have books that have made me cry buckets, or smile, or want to share some well crafted phrase from every page. For me, that's enough. The book touched me in some way.
10 - Excel. Something a little more practical? I'm thankful for Excel. I live in that program. My life is in that program. Lists of everything from every plant in the garden to what gifts I gave at Christmas (because who can remember??) to expenses, and of course, all my book/reading/blogging info. I can't imagine my life without Excel.
I feel like it's a healthy thing to stop every now and then and reflect on all the things that are right with our lives. We should probably celebrate things we appreciate and are grateful for more than once a year! I know Deb @ Reader Buzz shares her "3 Good Things" every week, focusing on things she's happy about and I love that!
Especially in the current divisive atmosphere in the country, it feels good to distance myself from that and just think about the positive things in my life. This post could just as easily have been called Things I Love - because I do love each of these ...... and maybe because I love it so much, I'm so very thankful? I'm a lucky woman.
I look forward to sharing all your thankfuls too -
