Again with the Tuesdays, lady . . .

Today's early morning hours brought cloudscapes that looked like streaks of paint across the sky with the same varying thicknesses a brush would leave. My shift at work was made complete by my winning a victory over a tricky Excel sheet. I had an hour to spare before class. This afternoon, Super and I will raid the 99 cent sock bin at the sock store down the street. Then, I'll have dinner with my best friend.

Once again, Tuesday is full of a wonder and beauty that betray the boxes on the calender.

And tonight, my friends and I will hold our annual viewing of a movie called, The Mouse and the Mayflower. We've been doing this now for over five years; despite going off to college and being really busy, we still watch it every year.

This is one of the few traditions in my life that I hold dear to an extreme level. There was a time when I hated the movie, but now, I can hardly wait till seven tonight.

While we're talking traditions, I am well aware that this season is traditionally a time of gratitude. Typically I take this time to think about the many things I should be grateful for; sometimes I make a list—if not on paper, in my head. What a great thing this is to do, but I'll admit that often it is more of a surface-level form of gratitude for me.

This year, I feel something different. Regardless of the time of year, I feel more grateful than I normally do. When I really put my mind to work on the list, my heart jumps right in with it and feels to sing the joys of people and things. Perhaps it's more circumstantial than seasonal. Nearly losing the best things in my life this year has shown me all I have and all I stand to gain. Though, I wish it didn't take loss to teach me.

I find it interesting that we always celebrate Thanksgiving on Thursday. We don't let it shift around and catch us off guard. We feel it coming weekly, rather than numerically. Would it be lovely if every Thursday was full of good food and good people and greater understanding of what it means to have those two things?

My Tuesdays are starting to feel like that. I am more than okay with that.