What I am thankful for...

Happy Thanksgiving to all the Americans out there. As I lay in bed this morning, having been abruptly woken up by a client (because alas, with the way my job is, I unfortunately have to work on both American AND French holidays), I thought about what I am thankful for. We all know this hasn't been the easiest of years for me - in fact, it probably ranks up there with one of the worst years of my life. But it's all about keeping things in perspective, isn't it? And so, I'm going to list out all the thinks I'm thankful for on this Turkey day:

• I have a home - it may not be perfect, nor permanent - but unlike millions of other people out there, I have a roof over my head
• I have made some fabulous friends here in Paris, for which I will be eternally grateful. Without all of you guys, I likely would've packed up my bags and left long ago
• I have a job that I enjoy and that challenges me everyday, and that gives me enormous flexibility with my scheduling
  
• Even though it's been tiring these past few weeks, I'm lucky to be able to travel as much as I do, and I've got a couple of more exciting trips coming up over the next few weeks
  
• The Company bought me a plane ticket home, and I am so happy to be spending Christmas with my family this year (as opposed to the very-un-merry Christmas I spent with Fab's family last year)
• I am able to put money away, bringing me a little bit closer every month to my goal of buying myself a small apartment here
• And last but not least, I am grateful for my Finnish classes. It's so nice to be able to do something for myself again, and to have rediscovered one of the passions I left behind when I moved to France

I hope everyone has a wonderful Turkey Day no matter where you are in the world - I myself am looking forward to eating a fabulous T-day dinner chez Sarah. I plan on stuffing my face with turkey and all the other goodies everyone will be bringing.

PS. In case anyone has the Discovery Channel, I just found out they're doing a Thanksgiving piece featuring The Company in their "How Stuff Works" Series. On top of that, the turkey that President Bush pardoned yesterday (and who will be the Grand Marshall in today's Thanksgiving Day Parade) also comes from The Company. How random is that?