Thankful For the Oddities

This being the week of my favorite holiday (sorry Christmas), I thought I would share the list of things for which I am thankful. Obviously I'm thankful for family and friends and all the blah blah blah. But it goes a little deeper than that. I am thankful for the odd things that make up the bigger picture. So here it is: 

Melissa's List of Thanksgiving Thankfuls 

Parents Who Never Told Me I Couldn't Do Something
I don't mean they let me run rampant with no regards to rules and consequences. There were plenty of times when they told me NO. I mean they were parents who let me choose my own path in life. Whether it was basketball or Taekwondo or marching band, they drove me to every practice and sat through every tournament. When I told them I wanted to go to college to study Theatre, they let me (hesitantly). When I told them I was moving to California, they put me on the plane. When I moved back to the Midwest after two months, they welcomed me back without question. When I told them I was looking into PhD programs, they nodded happily. When I told my mom I was writing a novel, she got VERY excited. 
They're supportive parents who want me in whatever I choose to do. No matter how unorthodox my dreams may be.

A Sister Who Actually Likes Me
As the younger sibling I grew up in the shadow of my sister, whether she realized it or not. I can't say that we hated each other growing up, but we certainly didn't always get along. She felt forced to take me places, and I didn't want to be the tag-along. It wasn't until she left for college that we realized we have a lot in common. We don't see each other much, mostly because I don't make much of an effort to go back home (sorry Mom). But she gives me compliments and actually invites me to hang out with her friends. It's a nice thing to have: a sibling you can actually talk to and make fun of your parents with. 

Friends Who Can Dish It Out
Who wants friends who are serious all the time? No one. I'm thankful that I have friends who can, simultaneously, take my concerns seriously and call me out on my bull. My friends are brimming with sarcasm, and that may be the only way I can handle them.

Dress Socks

I know this sounds weird, but hear me out. If your only options are white athletic socks or nothing at all, things can get ugly. Dress socks come in every color and pattern and they are fantastic. Just knowing that I'm wearing argyle, even if you can't see it, makes my day brighter. 

A Job That Allows Me to Sit Down 

Mostly I'm thankful to not having to work retail again this holiday season. While I generally prefer standing over sitting, I like having the option to use a chair.

A Car That Runs

By some miracle it does, even though every service light is shining brightly at me. The heater may not be hot and the tires are leaking air, but I get to my sit-down job everyday. And that's all that really matters.

My Small Group

I really don't know why, but I'm usually a bit reluctant to doing small group things outside the church. But I had gotten away from being the positive church-goer I once was, so I gave it a go. It was supposed to be eight weeks. That was in April. They're good people, and I'm thankful for the Godly friendships that have been created.

A Boyfriend Who Scares Me Whenever I Walk Out of the Bathroom

Seriously, every time I walk out of the bathroom he's waiting around the corner to jump out at me. How I haven't figured this out, I have no idea. He looks at me funny when I use big words, but thinks it's hilarious that my text messages always have spelling errors. He calls me out on my quirks. He's happy for my successes. He's seen me cry. (This is a big deal. I hate crying in front of people.) He definitely falls under the Friends Who Can Dish It Out category. Plus, he's not bad looking. So there's that. Yeah yeah, I'm crossing the line into sappy. Let's move on...

There are about a thousand other things I'm thankful for in some odd way. Flavored coffee creamer, for one. Because I think coffee is too bitter and I don't like that plain, milky taste of half & half.

I'm thankful for my 90-year-old grandpa who still rides a motorcycle. He'll tell you his life story whether you want to hear it or not. And God bless him for still remembering.

I'm thankful for an obnoxiously loud family.

I'm thankful for text messages so I don't have to talk to people on the phone.

I'm thankful nothing in my life has gone the way I planned. This can be a bit frustrating at times. But, honestly, if my life had played out the way I wanted it to, it would be so boring.

P.S I'm well aware that not every country has a Thanksgiving, and that our is shrouded in controversy. But the point is to be thankful for something. Whether that's your McMansion, or a good, unintended pun.

The Redemptive Choices of Jeremy Nash, Part 1

A few months ago I posted a flash fiction on this little blog of mine, and I got some pretty positive feedback. (Mostly from my parents, but that is entirely besides the point.) SOOO, I thought I would give you a taste of something I'm legitimately working on. It's just the beginnings of a longer story, so don't get too excited. We'll see where it goes.

The Redemptive Choices of Jeremy Nash, Part One

  Jeremy knew he should have put the key somewhere he would remember. But, wanting it to be a good hiding spot that no hypothetical intruder would find, he forgot. Now here he was, standing outside in the freezing rain, waiting for his sister to return home. If he had remembered where he hid the key, he would have been inside to answer the phone when the basketball coach, Mister Snyder, called to tell him two of the starters had been suspended for cheating on a test, and to get his butt back to the school immediately and suit up for tonight's game. He would have filled in as starting point guard, and scored thirty points,winning the game and the admiration of his teammates. But Jeremy did not hear the phone ring. He did not return to the school. He did not play in a basketball games as the coach's last resort. Instead, Jeremy sat in his front porch, pitying himself and his horrible memory, when the rain stopped and a rainbow broke through the clouds.
  He couldn't have told you why–– maybe it was his childhood obsession with Lucky Charms or a misplaced urge for adventure–– but Jeremy set off toward the rainbow in search if its end. Rounding the corner of his street he saw Mister Andrews, the neighborhood's very well-known crotchety old man, leaning on his cane while his dog relieved itself on someone else's flowerbed. Spotting Jeremy, he immediately summoned an aura of annoyance.
  "You're wet, young man," he said with disgust. "Positively drenched."
  "Yes," replied Jeremy.
  "Don't yes me," Mister Andrews retorted.
  "Yes... sir?" Jeremy attempted.
  "When I was your age we didn't go around in wet clothing. We made an effort to present ourselves. Where do you think you're going, looking like a drowned sheep?"
  Jeremy shrugged. His eyes had wandered to Mister Andrew's dog, a Boston Terrier named Felix. Felix having finished his business, had begun feasting on the stem of a fallen tulip.
  "Well, boy?" Mister Andrews insisted.
  "I don't know," Jeremy answered. "Just around."
  "Around, hmmph. Only hoodlums and floozies wander around. I should call your mother. Oh, don't think I don't know who you are, Mister Nash," he added at the look on Jeremy's face. "I know exactly who you are. I've seen you running amuck since you were knee-high to a grasshopper."
  Jeremy shook his head in amazement and flipped the hood of his sweatshirt over his head. Stuffing his hands into his pockets, he set off down the street. As he passed the old man, he felt a hard whack on the back of his legs.
  "OUCH!" he yelled. He turned to see Mister Andrews pointing his cane at him like a sword.
  "I'm watching you, boy," he said threateningly.
  Jeremy set off at a faster pace, putting as much distance as he could between himself and Mister Andrews. As he crossed the street he distinctly heard the old man shout "hooligan!" in his direction.