Some time ago in high school I was with some friends and we were just talking, and I think we decided to play truth or dare or some game where we ask each other questions I'm not super sure. So it had gotten to me and I had been asked by a friend at the time who knew I had major self-esteem issues, and I was asked, "What do you like about yourself?" Being caught off-guard, I responded, "I like that people think I'm funny," which one, I'm not even sure is true and two, a pretty terrible answer to a question that I could've taken more seriously. I don't know, it's just that every time these last few years Thanksgiving has come around, that night always popped into my head.
If I could have done it over again (and there are so many things I would have done differently back then), I would have said that what I liked about myself was that I was alive. And that seems like a pretty terrible answer too, but at the time I was dealing with a lot of personal issues that I want to go deeper on someday.
As cliche as it is, I just wanted to talk about what I'm thankful for. I'm thankful for my parents for not only bringing me into the world and being there for me when I needed them the most, but also supporting me in whatever career path I've chosen regardless of how ideal it was. I'm thankful for my brother and sister, both of whom I've learned a lot from growing up with them. I'm thankful for the people I've been friends with since who knows how long. I'm thankful for all the people I've met not only through being here at Ohio State, but also those I've been able to meet around the country through my volunteer organization and attending leadership conferences through that.
But most of all, I'm thankful to be alive. All these people who I've met have changed my life for the better. In my darkest times, I've been able to find light from at least one of these groups of people I've met along the way.
This post kind of supplements something I wrote--unpublished--a while that I've wanted to share for a really long time but had never had the courage to. With Thanksgiving being today, I thought I would post something short and sweet.
Happy Thanksgiving y'all.