Thanksgiving is a holiday all about who we’re thankful for. Weather that be referring to friends, family or even teachers, we’re all thankful for someone in our lives. We think about negativity 355 days a year, but holidays are the days we think all about positivity, thankfulness and giving. All of which are included in Thanksgiving. We gather around a table, or wherever you eat, and eat one big meal together as a family. All the crazy uncles put on pants and all the annoying siblings are a little less annoying. And although the cooking may be stressful, we always find it worth it when everyone is enjoying the football and turkey. So, without further sappiness, here are some of the many things I’m thankful for.

One of my all time favorite things is music. I love the way ordinary words are strung together and put to a tune. And while I like music all year round, I only really think about how thankful I am for it occasionally. Music has done so many things for me. It’s distracted me when I needed it, related to me when I was going through hard times, and even described exactly what I was feeling when I couldn’t analyze my overactive mind. There are so many different types and categories of music, and so many different bands in each one. Although certain genres may not appeal to certain people, each genre has it’s following. Music has a cultural element as well. Music from Texas is totally different from the music in Massachusetts, and both are in the US. Music can take you back in time, pause time, or even change the future, which is one of my favorite things about it.

Another unappreciated thing I sometimes take for granite is family. My family and I don’t always get along, and we never really see eye to eye, but that doesn’t change the fact that they are family. Family isn’t always by blood, mine certainly isn’t. Family is also complicated in every possible way. But, in the end, do those feuds even really matter? I mean, it’s Thanksgiving! As annoying as my siblings are, and as unbearable family is, they are also the friends we got forced to like. And while I could always choose to run away and join the circus, I wouldn’t. And that’s about the most flattering thing you can expect me to say about my family.

Friendship is another thing that is rare for me but high in value. Finding friends is hard when you’re always moving, but that doesn’t change the fact that I am very thankful for the friends I have. When you think about it, true friends are low in number and high in helpfulness. They lift you up when you’re down, the are the shoulder you use to cry on, and most importantly true friends love you for you. “Friends are the greatest gift of life.” says Hubert Humphrey, and I couldn’t agree more.