So I figured I should do a Thanksgiving post - it seemed like a good idea, and I'd rather do that than study, so post it is. Here's the list of what I'm thankful for this year; I've tried to get everything, but if you feel forgotten, it's probably because I'm running on lots of stress and little sleep.
Family is always a good place to start, so I'm thankful for my family. My little brother, who is the best friend, confidant and partner in crime I'll ever have and with whom I can gossip for hours on end about nothing and everything. My mom and dad, who love me, challenge me, support me, occasionally tell me to get over myself, and want me to be successful in every way. My extended family - grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins - who make a pretty darn great support system.
I'm thankful for my band family. My trumpet studio, all of whom are scarily good but really nice. My friends from high school band - I'm still in touch with a lot of them, and they keep me grounded. My friends in the college bands - you guys are my present.
I'm thankful for my school family. Five guys have been my friends since day one, and though we don't always see eye to eye and they frequently think I'm pretty crazy (probably because I am), they're co-conspirators and brothers and they don't mind me tagging along when they play video games or forage for food late at night. The people on my floor are for the most part in that same realm of uncertainty that I'm living in right now, but together we still manage to make it through the day and laugh a little along the way.
I'm thankful for my composition family. Whether they're the people back home who helped me get to my feet or the people in college who are helping me grow my wings, they're really important to me, they bring joy into my life on a regular basis, and I definitely wouldn't be where I am today without them.
I'm thankful for the chance to go to college. Even though I have no idea where I'll actually be in four years or what I'll ultimately be studying/making a career out of, I'm glad I have the experience of living away from home and gradually transitioning from academia into "the real world."
I'm thankful for anyone who's ever believed in me - especially when I didn't believe in myself. Anyone who knows me knows that I doubt my own abilities from time to time, and a lot of you have been there for me when everything's seemed to be too much. Chances are, if someone tells me I can do it I'll have the courage to get back up and try again.
I'm thankful for music. That overarching element of culture that binds us all together. It doesn't matter what language you speak, if someone sings a melody to you, you'll probably be able to sing it back. It doesn't matter if you're tone-deaf or pitch-perfect, you can appreciate music for what it is without having to know everything about it. Music moves people in ways words and actions cannot. It is the language that bypasses the brain.
I'm thankful for new beginnings. Sure, endings are hard, even devastating, and recovering from them can be a long and arduous process. Still, when we make it through and realize there's a new opportunity awaiting us - whether it be a new job, a new relationship, a new friend, a new semester, or even just a new day - we are once again able to embrace possibility.
I'm thankful for jazz band. And I miss it. A lot. [Just thought I'd throw that out there.]
I'm thankful for Christmas carols and puppies and rainy days and family tournaments of Mario Kart and gigantic crossword puzzles and little moments of courage and Brian Balmages' music and good books and the piano in the dining hall at Barrett and Handel's Messiah (which I won't get to sing this year) and reasons to get dressed up and comfortable clothes and Castle and friends who think I'm beautiful with no makeup on and my two best friends and Sharks games and snail mail and musicals and late-night expeditions to Devils' Diner and the flugelhorn and birthdays and Batkid and good intonation and valve oil and TSA Pre-Check and songs that make me happy and cookies and sunsets and the moments where everything is right in the world.
That's a pretty long list! But there's one more, and it's time to be brave:
I'm thankful for the guy who's captured my attention. I can talk to him for a long time without either of us getting bored, he understands and accepts my musicality, and he's sweet and smart and amazing and that's all the details anyone's getting. :)
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
Love you all,
Megan
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