They suspected it of fowl play! Ba dum tss!

How fitting it is that Thanksgiving comes at the end of the most stressful week of my short university career.  The past week was a rollercoaster of emotions: from feelings of confidence, to despair, to relief, and everything in between.  Overall, it was not only mentally taxing, but emotionally and physically draining. Now that I’ve finally reached the salvation that is the long weekend, it is comforting to take a step back from the immediate stresses and evaluate the whole picture; to look at how fortunate and blessed I am to be here and realize all the things I have to be thankful for.

My family– for understanding when I can’t call, and updating me on their lives. For making me feel like I can constantly do what ever I put my mind to, and offering comforting words after I panicked at my first midterm.  For my brothers for constantly doing rad things that make me want to explore, and making me feel guilty (in the best way possible) for spending my free time studying.

My friends– shoutout to the ones who still reply to my snapchats, forgive me for not replying to texts for days, message me first because they know how much I suck at texting, and make fun of me for my food pics but still eat my baking.  I thoroughly enjoy creeping through all your pictures and get genuinely excited when I see the awesome things you all are doing #noshame

The opportunity to grow– yes the university experience may not be the perfect vision I had in my head in the summer. Somehow I thought I’d have my own “squad” and be like T swift (have you seen the SNL skit?? https://youtu.be/SPxICxsTn_A?t=55). Alas that hasn’t happened yet. I still struggle sometimes with meeting new people and being sure of myself. But I’m confident that I’m growing and learning to put myself out there in ways that would not have been possible had I stayed in my comfort zone in Edmonton.

The chance to make a difference– with the election coming up I’m thankful I live in a place where I can speak my mind and hear others speak theirs.  I am still undecided about this whole politics things and my own political views, but it’s inspiring to see how passionate people are, and encouraging to see the open debate that has blossomed around me. Living on my own has also made me more cognizant of my own choices and the affect they can have on the world around me.  I am so thankful I am in a position where I can afford to make better choices in many different, simple ways, like biking instead of driving or buying local food.

My roommates- for actually being easy people to live with and putting up with my random midnight baking. And for having a built in friend who is always there with candy corn (or a whole pie?) and will eat tacos with me!

All the cool people I have met-  for teaching me something new each day.  It seems like every day I meet some one who has a crazy story to tell, whether its someone who plays competitive ultimate frisbee, is from the Yukon, or did research in Mexico for the summer.  It puts me in a constant state of awe. And I know I’ll keep meeting even more!

There are so many more things I could add to this list, but it is already pretty long.  Tonight, I’ll sleep satisfied with the choices I have made and the life I am building, and with a belly full of delicious, homemade food 🙂 Happy Thanksgiving Turkeys!