The 10 Days of Thanksgiving

I saw a cartoon on my aunt Barb's blog this morning that got me thinking...

Thanksgiving is one day of the year that everyone is reminded to remember what they are thankful for. The other 364-365 days are often spent thinking about what we don't have. What we can't have. What we shouldn't have. We are a goal-driven society, so it's only natural that once we accomplish something, we check it off the 'list' and set our sights on the next mountain to summit. I am guilty of this myself, so there's no finger pointing coming from me! I take things for granted, from my accomplishments to the simple pleasures that keep me going on the tough days.

So, welcome to the inaugural edition of "The 10 Days of Thanksgiving." It's a tradition I hope to continue in the years to come... even if I am the only one reading this blog 2, 4, or 10 years from now!!

So here goes...

I am thankful for the love of reading which was instilled in me by my parents, siblings, and grandparents who took the time to read to me when I was young and impressionable.

This blog was inspired by my love of reading. As I've said before, "my cup runneth over" when it comes to books. I have a pretty small condo, yet have made room for 4 bookshelves. I bought a 5-shelf bookshelf last summer; at that point, my 'overflow collection' of books filled 2 shelves. Just over a year later, and it looks like this...

Hi. My name is Lisa. And I am an addict.

My love of books and reading has resulted in all of the obvious benefits; but it's also gotten me in some trouble. Most memorable is the year I almost ruined my Mom's brand new stove. It was Christmas Eve. My mom had a long list of things to do, so decided to delegate the basic tasks. We were making some homemade ice cream and the batter was simmering on the stove. My mom asked me to just sit there and stir the batter. Simple enough, huh? Yah, that's what I thought, which is why I decided to multi-task and read my page-turner while stirring. I was pretty proud of myself until I glanced up to turn the page and saw the batter rising up and over the edge of the pan. Ahhh! Crap. I tried to do some damage control, but unfortunately, the batter ran over the edge of the stove, into the oven vents. Its final destination was between the two panes of glass of the oven viewing window.... Yah, not good. Did I mention it was a new stove/oven? Like a month old?

I won't go into all the wonderful details of what ensued, but here are some highlights. The door of the oven was taken off. My mom sliced her finger (badly) when 'jimmying' a knife w/ paper towel between the two panes of glass and refused to get stitches since it was Christmas Eve and she had way too much to do before the next day when we would host my Dad's side of the family.

Luckily, it all worked out. The unreachable batter did not burn and create a visible black residue in the viewing window as my mom had feared. No one accused her of being a terrible house keeper. And the story has been laughed over and used to illustrate a) my short attention span for tasks like stirring, and b) how much of a book worm I really am.

I've had a fantasy of reaching for a book when a tall, dark, and handsome young man is reaching for that exact same book. We touch hands, our eyes met, and the rest, as they say, is history. Highly unlikely. However, a friend recently told me about an organization called, "Books and Bars," which is probably a better avenue to meet a fellow bookaholic like myself. Each month, people from across the metro area meet at Bryant Lake Bowl to discuss a book. There is a social hour after the discussion, so who knows what could happen. I'll keep you posted...

Stay tuned for tomorrow's counted blessing.