Grateful

For starters, to those of you who celebrate it, Happy Thanksgiving!

I decided, after getting energy from caffeine, that I should write a piece on what I am grateful for. There are a lot of things and people I am grateful for so I am sharing the most prominent ones.

The most important thing I'm grateful for is my family. They are the only people who have been there through thick and thin since the beginning. Their support through everything is the reason I am still here today. When my mental health began to suffer at a young age, around 13, my parents forced me into therapy. At the time, I was angry at them but after 10 years, I am so happy that they did that. Even when my health stuff became my decision at 18, I continued to get the much-needed help and there has been so much progress. If they didn't force me to get help, I don't think I ever would have opted for it. No matter what is going on, I know they will be there for me, especially my parents, cousin, and aunt. Just this week, while trying to push myself to prepare my meals ahead of time because of the modified Atkins diet, I couldn't bring myself to cook because I just didn't want to. My mom ended up cooking my stuff for me. I feel guilty even though she chose to do it. I know I will end up helping with the stuff I can't have but I should have sucked it up and cooked my own food.

The second most important thing for me is having the greatest friends a person could ask for. I have a few from Vocal (you know who you are) and a couple from outside this amazing community. All of them listen to my complaining without judging. Talking to them is enjoyable no matter what we are talking about. It can be important or just us being random and weird but it is always fun, even when I am struggling mentally and they try to help me. I try to be there for them as much as I can too but I'll admit, I'm not great at that.

Finally, the organization I volunteer for is amazing. I have a second family through there. They are incredible people who are there for me. Not only are they there for me, but I get a sense of satisfaction for giving back to them. I get to help at teen weekends twice a year, where I help watch teenagers and get to spend time with my second family. Not all of them live in the same city as me so those are the only times we see each other in person. We text regularly but that isn't even close to the same as in person. I know, it's crazy that a 23-year-old prefers seeing friends in person but that's just how I am.

After realizing that those are all people, I should add one thing that I hate but am extremely grateful for... My medications. I hate taking them but using them helps me a lot. Without them, I would have more mood instability than I already have and seizures much more often (almost every day instead of the current 0-2 times a month, on average). I know it may seem small but it makes a huge difference in my day-to-day life.

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If you read this (first of all, thank you) and have written (or are going to write) a Thanksgiving story, share the link in the comments please. I would love to read your stories too!