I’m full of gratitude this year, in ways I haven’t had the chance to be before. It’s been an interesting year, for sure. Twenty-twelve started out with a slew of no-good, stupid, vexing shit, but hot damn has it turned around! The last six months have been downright wonderful.

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One thing I am thankful for on a daily basis is that in May, when Egon had his second disc rupture and needed a $5,000 surgery, friends, family, and strangers from the internet gave me and Eegs the support we needed to get it done. I am still amazed by all that warmth and generosity — it changed both our lives. While the operation did not give Egon the use of his back legs again, it did likely save his life. The ruptured disc had already caused softening and deterioration of his spinal cord by the time he went into surgery, and he was lucky to recover without it spreading and becoming fatal. I am so thankful that he got the help he needed, that he made it through surgery and recovery, and that he and I have now adjusted to his new care and routine. We’re both as happy as ever.

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I’m also incredibly thankful for the series of events and small moments that led me and my boyfriend together. I started the year in a relationship that was basically an illusion, precariously held together by a bunch of lies. Getting out of it (or finally deciding to, I suppose) was an ugly experience. It was hard to take action and for a while I felt paralyzed. I suppose the painful process of removing things from your life that aren’t working is, if viewed differently, also the process of creating fertile space in your life for new things to grow. Either way, it isn’t easy, but it is of course worth the trouble. Thank goodness I did! Now I just find myself full of happiness and excitement; I feel grateful and lucky and confident. The sense of wonder I felt when I wrote this hasn’t left me. Having a person in my life whom I trust without question is something I appreciate every single day.

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I am also, as always, thankful for good friends, family, challenging work, coffee, health, running, good food, bourbon, books, biking, champagne, flowers, television, and poems.

I hope your Thanksgiving holiday is lovely, friends!