Gina Stovall

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Giving Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving! In the true spirit of the day, and momentarily overlooking the mass murder of America's indigenous peoples, I am thinking about all of the blessings in my life... this post is going to my long a rambly personal reflection so scroll to the bottom for the TLDR (too long didn't read).

This week I got fully knocked out by a stomach bug and was a bit unsure if I could enjoy the feast of the day, but I am still so grateful for my health. And even when sick be able to bounce back quickly. Without general physical and mental good health, the reality of life would be completely different from what I currently enjoy. It is one less thing I do not consciously have to consider and accommodate on a daily basis and for that, I am truly grateful.

This year my Thanksgiving dinner will be with very close friends for whom I am so grateful to have in my life. They were bonus gifts I received when I met my partner. And they are people I am just as happy to spend this day of giving and gratitude with as my own family. All of these people, my family, my wonderful partner and my friends I am so grateful for. I know the power of community and I also know how hard it can be find people to let into your life and love, and I am so appreciative for all of these people that make it so easy for me to love them. And while I am on the topic of family, I am so grateful to have witnessed another year of growth for my family. I feel closer to them than ever and my heart aches in a beautiful way when I think of the eternal bonds we strengthen and share.

I appreciate my spirituality and seeking spirit. I have my grandmother to thank for the former and my parents to thank for the latter. It is my eternal faith in humanity and myself that gives my life mission and allows me to find happiness in the everyday. And the curiosity that my parents fostered that drives so much of my work and hobbies today. 

And on a lighter note, I am so grateful for the place I am in my life right now. I tend to be forward-looking and always striving toward the next goal. But this year I have been actively trying to appreciate where I am in this moment because this moment I will never get back. And more importantly, I am happy! I want to bask in my happiness. Of course, there is so much more I want to accomplish and so many many unknowns I have yet to fix or figure out, but I am so grateful for where I am in my journey right now. I am grateful I get to spend my days with someone I love, I am grateful to live in New York City, I am grateful for a job where I get to earn while helping others, I am grateful for the means to support myself and indulge my curiosities, and I am grateful that my family is healthy and making their dreams come true! I am appreciative of all the fortune I have. My life is complicated and challenging but I am glad it is my own.

And finally, in the spirit of this blog, I am super grateful for my passport (and have been thinking about it a lot lately). It is such a freedom to be a citizen of a country like the USA that has a standing in the world that allows me to travel freely to most countries and give me the protections so many people in this world are without. I feel truly lucky and indebted for my place in this world.

TLDR - I am so appreciative for...

  1. Good Health
  2. My Partner, Family & Friends
  3. A Seeking Spirit
  4. The Present
  5. My US Passport

Finally, I am grateful to you (yes, you!). Thank you for being here with me. Thank you for clicking and reading. See Soo Much is my passion project, and it would exist whether you were here or not but it is so sooo much more meaningful to me that you are. I have just begun to see that true friends can exist online and it really enriches my life and I have the potential to enrich others as well. So thank you, because if we are not friends yet I truly hope we can become so soon.