Today’s Ten on Tuesday topic was 10 Things I’m Thankful For:

1. Health: Between Rudi’s ski injury and Gramma’s fall and all the little and big things that have cropped up to affect those I love in the last year, I am particularly grateful that we all seem to muddle through them.
2. Family: There’s nothing like hearing a doctor suggest that your loved one could have died to make all those niggling things they do seem exactly what they are: insignificant. Rudi and I are both lucky enough to still have our parents around, and my brother Josh totally has my back. Gramma has slowed down, but she’s nearly 94, and how many 40-year olds are lucky enough to still be able to converse with a grandparent? My extended family is a member smaller than it was at this time last year, which makes me appreciate those who remain.
3. Friends: How lucky I am to have friends all over the country who care about me, including a bunch I’ve now known for more than half my life. They IM with me and text me pictures they think I’d like and leave comments here and visit and send packages and call and email and sing and bake for me and play games and help me decorate my Christmas tree and hang out on Friday nights in the summer.
4. Cats: Posey and Jeremiah have now been in our lives for a dozen years and Corey nearly a handful. While they refuse to mop the kitchen floor in exchange for room and board, they do curl up around our heads at night and entertain us with their playing and nuzzle us when we’re trying to type and guard the bathroom from intruders when we’re in the shower. They purr and are soft and love us, even when we buy them food that’s good for them, rather than delicious.
5. Work: I grumble sometimes about my job (not here, but in real life), but mostly I enjoy the people I work with and feel what we do is worthwhile. And even if neither of those things were true, it is not mind-numbing, back-breaking, or demeaning and it pays me generously when compared to the average earner.
6. The Burrow: D.C. has a large homeless population, including a lot of families. While our apartment might be below ground and lack a bedroom door, it has heat and windows that open and space enough for us and a landlord who is happy to fix things that break. It’s conveniently located to transportation and shops and is in a safe neighborhood with trees and a park.
7. Books: I am thankful that I like to read and am able to do so easily. I appreciate the nearby bookstores who sell me books and the library, who loans so many to me for free.
8. Food: When so many go hungry, I am lucky to have plenty. My cupboards are never bare and I never go to bed on an empty stomach. I’m lucky to have so farmers markets available to me, farms within a short drive, and a garden in which to grow my own plants.
9. Transportation: My 21-year-old car is still puttering along, next hopefully up to Connecticut for Thanksgiving. I have a bike that Rudi keeps in good shape for me, as well as access to a regional bike-sharing system. I can take a subway to work and a bus to the library. If I wanted to go to Baltimore or Richmond, trains would take me there and if I want to go further afield, there are three airports that will help make that happen.
10. Music: How poorer the world would be without songs, and how grateful I am that I have such access to recorded music and live performances.

How about you? What are you thankful for this year?