1. The summer music season/releases. Some people look forward to the summer movies; I look forward to new music, and the festivals and concerts that come with new albums released in the spring and summer. This year, I'll go back to Newport with dear Michelle, and I am so excited. The songs from Brandi Carlile's live album go through my head all day and night; I'm counting the days till Bon Iver's new release; Fleet Foxes' "Helplessness Blues" has been on constant rotation. I find myself wishing I had the sort of schedule where I could follow my favorite bands all over the country, just because that sounds like fun - I'd have dragged all my friends to Ray LaMontagne's concert in Waterbury, CT this weekend, and I absolutely would have meandered through the South with The Avett Brothers, and picked up the Mumford and Sons tour.
These days, these songs, remind me of a previous life, when I would drive a thousand-plus miles to see Over the Rhine for one concert, or would fly to a city far away from my own to hear Radiohead, back when they could play little venues off the beaten path, and I could still listen to them. That was a hard previous life, and for all it offered me, I don't miss it - but there are times when I do long for the musical interludes of it. So I am thankful for the new music that sometimes hearkens back to the comforting memories of those years, and that beckons me to look forward, forward, forward.
2. Jill. Those who know her will know exactly why she will always make my thankful list. Those who don't know her are missing out, and should make a special trip to San Antonio to find out why.
3. Exhaustion - the kind that comes from a totally nerve-wracking and adrenaline-filled day or week in a career that both makes me wonder why I do this every day, and also reminds me exactly why I do this every day. It's funny - there are times when I can so clearly see my dad in me: the rush that comes when I've sold in a new project, the way I feel my eyes light up when I get to engage in a conversation about the best approach to solving a business problem.
The part that isn't at all like my dad is the living in constant fear of being fired - he's so much more confident than I will ever be, and of course, it helps that he's been his own boss for most of his adult life. That terrifying question of whether I'm good enough to be where I am, doing what it is I'm doing - even if I've "wasted" my talents and my degrees, even if I've sold my soul to promote capitalism - adds to the exhaustion in ways that can be so draining. But then, just when I think I done, too tired to form another coherent thought - there it is! The spark of an idea that sparks another idea that sparks another, and all of a sudden, I think maybe I can deal with the exhaustion, because when I'm "on," I am so on. So I'm thankful for that very specific type of exhaustion - because it means I'm also a little proud of myself, and enjoying how I earn a living.
4. Sisters. Because no one else will ever really get why "snurk snurk snurk" is so funny, or why it's important to have matching summer flip-flops and matching Christmas pajamas. They drive me bananas, but I wouldn't trade them. (Well.... Nah, I wouldn't trade them.) :)
5. Sister-in-laws. I can't say I ever thought I'd have a sister-in-law (sorry, Alan - I just never thought about it!). And like every uber-protective older sister, there was a time when I would have liked to have picked out my little brother's spouse for him (but then again, he didn't get a say in my choice...perhaps he should have?). But I am so thankful for my sister-in-law. Not just because she's provided me with a home, and unrestricted auntie-ing,* or good tips on how to get non-washable crayon out of my jeans, but more because she is so good to my brother, and for my brother. And really, at the end of the day, that's all I could want for him. The rest is just gravy.
6. Jeans that fit. Something so simple, and yet, irritatingly hard to find. And sometimes, at least when you're me, it's the simple things....
7. New shoes. Because new fun shoes never disappoint. And again, it's the simple things. Plus, everyone needs multiple pairs of plum-colored shoes, right?
8. And of course, because no thankful Erin list would be complete without it, I feel that I must mention Miss Julia Lynn, who at 17 months is climbing all over everything, and quacking like a duck, and fighting nap time, and continues to be the most amazing funny kid I've ever seen.
* Okay, well, there are a couple of restrictions: I'm definitely not allowed to tell Julia that if she doesn't get out of the bathtub, she'll go down the drain with the bath water. And I don't think I'm supposed to tell her that if she unscrews her belly button, her legs and butt will fall off. (But I feel like someone should tell her! She should know these things!) But otherwise, so far, I've been given free rein. :)
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