Amy Lu's View

Now that the faux turkey leftovers from Thanksgiving are finished (they lasted three days!) and our oven is once again filled with chips and crackers (although still basically debris-free), I feel it’s time for a traditional reflection on what I’m grateful for. 

When I pause to reflect on all the many things I have to be grateful for, my heart usually first turns to food (and beverages) and clothes–the little delights and treats and comforts that bring physical pleasure into my life and make me feel good. While I continue to love all my mundane indulgences (many staples remain as part of my life, a few have lost their luster or worn out, and a few new ones have been discovered), I want to avoid yet another blog post about food and drink and clothes. 

So here is a list, in no particular order and by no means exhaustive, of some things I’m thankful for that more or less are somehow connected to the last year:

• Finding one of my dresses from high school, and my 1985 high school yearbook, and my hair crimper (which still works) in case any of these relics are needed for the upcoming one-act I’m in, which has a 1985 setting (in a way)
• Chad starting seminary
• Taking voice lessons at Sarah Jane’s Music school and my incredibly supportive teacher
• Resuming in-person church services (while still having the option to stay home and use Zoom)
• Gigs for our band Pigeons from Hell, including our return to the Driftwood Char Bar this week!
• Covid vaccine and boosters, at-home Covid tests, and NOT getting Covid
• Every time we still have room left in our recycling bin
• We had our credit card returned to us after our server at Crooners accidentally gave it to another customer
• Successfully saving socks from StanLee
• That our new neighbors on both sides of our house are cool and don’t seem too perturbed with StanLee’s shenanigans. I’m especially thankful that the three dogs who now live next door are pretty chill about StanLee and he even seems to be friends with one of them!
• Getting a new phone after mine was “lost”
• Air freshener diffuser sticks 
• Wordle
• Thankful every time I find my car after I go somewhere, anywhere, and park it–but especially at a State Park
• Houseplants that I got from Chad for my birthday are still alive
• Getting a haircut and now having layers
• My home office (although I still need to organize it better)
• Midterm election results
• That I successfully ran the Twin Cities Marathon (it was inevitable that I would mention this)
• Our new furnace/AC and a new refrigerator
• Our couch (and that cats aren’t destroying it)
• I had my toenail successfully removed and was able to run fairly soon afterwards (yes, this was a planned medical procedure that I’m happy to describe more in person)
• Coming up with a title for a blog post!