Things I'm Thankful For

My 6th annual list of things I'm thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving!

1. In two more months, we'll be one less Bush, one more Obama
2. India, I have come to realize that living in India has prepared me for almost everything. Everything is easier here: Driving, crossing the street, bargaining, ignoring beggars/tauts, shopping, traveling, dealing with poor service, expectations (they are so low that they are constantly being exceeded), communicating in languages that I don't speak (I learned everything I'll ever need to know!), health problems (it's so much easier when the number of people effected doesn't end with "million" or "billion"), heat....
3. Africa, (I should just say Kenya as it's the only country here I've been to yet) but it's just lovely here and I've spent so many years trying to get here that it's wonderful to finally be here!
   
4. Animals! I love the big cats.. can't get enough. Even my little cat - who has been a handful the past few months but I know will be much better when I finally get her a yard to run around in
   
5. The iphone! I lost the ability to use it for a few weeks and my quality of life diminished exponentially.
   
6. Travel and new experiences. Since last thanksgiving I've been to Nepal, Japan, Papua New Guinea, Australia, Vietnam, the Andamans (technically in India but totally different), Bhutan, Cambodia and now Kenya. (oh, and India and the US too) I have to pinch myself sometimes that this is really my life
7. Facebook - it has given me access to so many old friends and a way to keep in even better touch with those I have kept in touch with.
8. Family - losing grandma in September not only makes me realize how precious it all is but looking around it dawned on me that I have an amazing family (and John!) that I love spending time with.
9. Satender and Tenzing - (driver and housekeeper from India) - while I don't have them around any more I am still grateful for how much they added to my life in India. I also realize that I will never be as lucky again and in this case need to lower my expectations.
10. My overwhelmingly generous friends and family - a few examples:

• My colleague in Kenya, Mary Ann, who didn't think twice about opening her house to me when I was left homeless due to a careless error by my company. She made a bad situation so much more bearable and it's actually nice to be around kids again.
• My friend/colleagues in India, Ragini and her son and Dana and Gertrude who went above and beyond the call of duty to check in on and ensure proper care when Tenzing was sick recently

I'm so blessed to have so many wonderful friends around the world, to have enough money to help others, and to earn that money doing what I love. Am trying to remember to count those blessings more than once a year.