Thankful


Hi loves, 

I’ve enjoyed reading all the thankfulness posts this month, but didn’t feel like I had the bandwidth to participate WHICH IS BOGUS NONSENSE. And so… here are my 28 days of gratitude all at once and in no particular order. This is a long-ass post and I don’t expect you to read it, but I still wanted to put it out into the universe. Many of you qualify in more than one category listed below. But listen, even if I somehow missed you, I’m grateful for you. Happy Thanksgiving.

1) Phoebe – Thank you for being a source of light, optimism, love, humor, and hope in my life. Always. Thank you for the hard work you’re doing this year.

2) Michael – Thanks for your love, trust, wisdom, hard work, and humor. And for our music. “The truest of lights.”

3) My brother – holds both your hands I love you. Completely.

4) Kidlets – Mine, yours, and all the sweethearts there are. So grateful for the mess of parenthood and especially for the snuggles.

5) My Family near & far – I love you all. This is a tough time of year to live so far away from many of you, but I’m sending you hugs and thanks for our connection.

6) Rita Collard – Thank you for so many years of inspiration and encouragement. You are a brilliant human being and exactly who I want to be when I grow up.

7) Darian, Lola, Nick & Co. – All of you! I’m grateful every day for your generous spirits, your creative impulses, and your genuine friendship. I love you.

8) The Wolves – You know who you are. I can’t survive without you. Thank you for bearing witness to my most absurd obsessions and darkest thoughts. Thank you for howling at the moon, for love, laughter, commiseration, and for Story.

9) Sirens – Oh my loves, thank you for the deep sense of connection and support I feel from so so many of you. I honestly don’t believe I’d be half the writer I am without you. Thank you for your sisterhood.

10) The Teachers – Grateful for the ones I’ve had the privilege to work with, for the many who have blessed my own life, and for those who are helping my kids thrive. Thank you for your work, your love, and the thoughtful care you provide to so many. Extra thanks to Maya for Lorelei. ;)

11) The Writers – You know who you are. If we’ve exchanged manuscripts, or bits of advice, or jokes about process, or confessions of self-doubt, I count you in my writing community. Thank you so much for helping me feel less alone in this bonkers field. Thank you for being as honest and brave as you are.

12) Delia Sherman, Ellen Kushner, & Terri Windling – Like so many around the planet, I count you among the most important guides in my life. Thank you for sharing so much with us, and for the glorious gifts of your wisdom and creativity.

13) Susan – Meef e few a paway, infimet effy won ew shoooo, do foob shee da shiddes gif ull beee mafooooo, an sha mish attash wooo shay, FANG EW FO BEIN MAH FENN!!!

14) Faire Frenz- Thanks for giving me a space to be my most silly, ridiculous self. Thank you for reminding me, constantly, of the healing power of pretend. Thank you Tamera and Feather for your open-hearted gifts of art and beauty. 

15) Mik – Thanks for demonstrating, again and again, that honor and humor make a sick combo. Thanks for our unlikely friendship and for abundant shenanigans.

16) The Moms & Dads – This is for ALL of you, but also and especially for those of you who are in the thick of it with me right now, and at Meridian. I’m thankful everyday for our incredible community and for the delight I find in your company and shared experiences. The kids are okay. I believe that’s because of all of us, together. Thank you.

17) Extended family, old friends, new friends, and internet friends – It’s a weird thing to live in this age, when we can hold on to so many connections for so long. Even though some of those connections are loose at best, and even though social media has some serious pitfalls, I’m so grateful for the good people in my life. I wish we could spend more time together regularly, but I’ll take what I can get! 

18) The Artists- If you paint, sing, play an instrument, design, perform, sculpt, or I don’t know get messy in any medium anywhere- thank you. My life is only meaningful because art wakes me up to that meaning. Keep on keepin’ on!

19) The Healers – We have one kid down with the flu right now and it’s beating him up hard. I’m only able to sit here and type without exploding into a thousand fiery nerves because of the kind doctors and professionals who reassured us. I’m grateful every day for nurses, doctors, researchers, body-workers, and healers of all kinds.

20) Shelter & Nourishment – Too many folks go without these basic human rights. I’m deeply grateful that my family has both and I hope we can find new ways to share our resources during the holidays.

21) The Earth, its Creatures & Mystery – If you’ve read this far, I’m… shocked! Thank you! But you probably won’t be shocked to learn I’m a big fan of Nature. May we all take better care of her in the new decade.  

22) Adventures – Grateful there have been so many this year. Some creative, some travel-based, some raucous, some restorative. Extra special thanks for trips to Scotland and Ireland this year that blew my mind. 

23) Downtime – Is it wrong to include TV, good books, & my couch on this list? I don’t wanna be right.

24) The PNW – I love where I live. It’s grey and gloomy for sure, but also wild and green and mythic. It's a long way from West Miami, but it's absolutely home. 

25) Foulweather Bluff – I’m still confused about how we ended up making all this music in 2019, but it's definitely helped me process some serious midlife BS. =D

26) Buddhism & Pema Chodron & Yoga & Therapy & Meds – My mental healthcare regimen is no joke. It’s not always perfect and neither am I, but the older I get, the more okay I am with that imperfection.

27) Canned cranberry sauce – This post is entirely too earnest.

28) Work – I’ve got two fresh novels that I plan to query in the new year. It’s been a long time since I sent something so big out into the world and I’m definitely nervous, but also so grateful that I have the chance to write at all. I don’t take it for granted that lots of people desperately wish they had the time and resources to write a novel. I’m very very lucky.

And that's that. It feels weird not to acknowledge that I could easily make another list of 28 and another and another. There's a lot to be grateful for.  May we celebrate that truth as often as possible. 

Much much love, 
Edie




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