Each year at Thanksgiving, my family does this thing where we go around the table and everyone says something they’re thankful for. Does yours do that as well? We usually just say 12 variations of the same generally palatable thing, for tradition’s sake. But this one year, my littlest cousin (maybe she was around seven at the time?) went rogue. In front of her exhausted parents and loving grandparents, with food on her plate and roof over her head, my cousin said the thing she was most thankful for was… herself.
Everyone laughed!
Then we ate beige foods until our stomachs ached, kissed each other goodbye, and woke up with carb-cushioned hangovers.
Now that I’m older, wiser, and not gathered around an oozing mound of baked brie with my entire family today, I’ve started to rethink my cousin’s refreshingy candid answer. Maybe it’s not narcissistic to be grateful for yourself—maybe it’s just being objective. Many of us have been more isolated this year than ever before, which means you’re the person you’ve probably spent the most time with. You worked really hard—under less-than-ideal circumstances to boot. You acted as caregiver, checked in on your friends, taught your children, stood up for justice, cooked a lot of meals, cleaned a lot of dishes, supported local businesses, kept a brave face when you could… What’s the harm of giving credit where credit is due? Thank the academy next year!
Instead of going around the table, I’d like to go around the internet and ask this: Why are you thankful for yourself? What’d you do to deserve a little pat on the back? (And you better believe you do deserve it.) Let’s turn the comments section into one big ‘ol self-love fest, shall we? Pre-heat the compliments, team ITG will see you down there in a minute.
—Ali Oshinsky
Photo via ITG