Since I fell a bit behind, with my last post on December 3, here are ten things for which I #GiveThanks, in no particular order.
1. My writing. It's one of the few things I feel I'm really good at, and it's been quite therapeutic through the years. While I hope to be a best-selling author someday, I'd still write if I wasn't getting a dime out of it.
2. My artwork, for the same reasons. I may not be a Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, or Disney animator, but I have fun with it just the same and I still have a handful of fans to call my own.
3. My Creative Writing teacher, Mrs. Kay Cannon. Sadly, she passed away in 2018, but I'm forever grateful to her for igniting the spark of my writing.
But
more important than that, she helped me during a crucial time, when my
self-esteem was lower than usual, my friends were few, and I wondered
what I wanted to do with my life or what I was good for. I was a very
thirsty plant and she was a most refreshing watering can.
4. Sesame Street. Strange as it may sound, it's one of those wholesome shows who teach valuable lessons to children while still providing plenty of entertainment on the side. What I like most is that those guys keep it simple without dumbing anything down, and you don't have to be a little kid to watch it and enjoy it.
To this day, I still love Big Bird, Snuffy, Elmo, Grover, Count von Count, and Ernie and Bert, but Cookie Monster is my most favorite.
5. Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. Despite his passing in 2003 (I still remember the shock when I found out), Fred Rogers continues to be a much-needed role model for people of all ages. I watched his show plenty of times, and today, I admire how he teaches us to be kind to ourselves as well as others.
His words not only ring true but resonate all the louder: " There's nobody else in the whole world who's exactly like you, and people can like you exactly as you are."
6. Barney and Friends. People think it's "the cool thing" to tear Barney the Dinosaur to pieces, and while I'll admit the show has its hokey moments, I also think the show (and the character) deserves a little more credit. Barney did help me to conquer my childhood terror of shadows on the wall, and you really can't go wrong with uplifting messages like "everyone is special" and "I love you."
7. Any writer that gets kids excited about reading. I'm talking about people like Roald Dahl, Bruce Coville, Lurlene McDaniel, J.K. Rowling, Louis Sachar, and even R.L. Stine. I absolutely love Dahl, Coville, McDaniel, and to an extent, Rowling.
While I do like Stine (I was really into him when I was younger), most of his work is pretty bad by today's standards. Christopher Paolini also falls a bit short, and I already dedicated a post to why I don't sing Harry Potter's praises like everyone else: Why Harry Potter Isn't My Favorite Story.
Nevertheless, any author who convinces a young child to devour a book gets respect from me on principle.
8. Good books as a whole. Why do you think I want to become a professional writer myself?
9. Classical music. There's just something so magical about Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, Mozart, and all the rest, something that never gets old. It's not Christmas until I've listened to at least a few bits of The Nutcracker, and I'm grateful for the Disney movie Fantasia, which is a great way to introduce children to classical music.
10. Walt Disney. I have a love-hate relationship with Disney these days, but for the most part, the impact has been positive. It takes a special kind of magic to create something that's entertaining, good on the eyes, pleasing to the ear, and meaningful on the whole.
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