Gratitude

I was going to write a post today about how Thanksgiving long weekend feels all wrong this year. I was going to talk about how the passage of time is really skewed and that this is usually a time for brief recuperation and rest before the long stretch towards the holiday season and end of term but there’s still so much left to do in context. And as I thought about all of this, about the long weekend walks I used to take to look for acorns and oak leaves (two things that are on the coat of arms of my alma mater and current employer, because of course anything academic), about the roasted squash, the smell of amazing food before I lost my sense of smell for good, the stacks of midterms that I graded in between- all of those things, I realized that it was probably not the best idea to focus on all that was different and all that was lost. It is important to acknowledge it yes, but maybe it is better to focus on some things that would be perspective building. 

So this is not a toxic positivity post (fret ye not) because golly gee I can’t stand those either. What this is a shout out gratitude post for those who have made a difference in my small word over the past 7 months this year. Now the problem with this is that when you list you have to necessarily but someone first, and even if you say in no particular order, the fact that you put someone first gives them a particular order so you can preface all you want, the context and organization will say otherwise. So here in no particular order, except the first one cause you are the real deal, are some folk I am grateful for:

• My best friend Emma who keeps me grounded
• Tyler and the opportunity to work with the best people anywhere
• Fiona who understands the importance of things like pedagogy, care, and empathy
• Megan who coined the amazing WWAD to reflect my accessibility advocacy 
• Duc for being there with the ideas for years
• Lesa for indulging the astrology nerd in me
• Adriana who will geek out with me about UDL at the drop of a hat
• TJ who will geek out, or shake his head with me, about academic integrity any time
• The ladies who lunch, Jess and Elizabeth, for just getting it every time
• Brenna who really just gets *Gestures Wildly* all of this
• My 15 year old, please buddy stick around a bit more, cat who sees my soul
• Cristina and Judith who both believed in two of my book projects this year
• Sarah who understands durée in the depths of her being
• Xinli for being a compassionate educator 
• Eric Moore for being such a great leader in UDL
• Mandy who knows advocacy never takes a holiday
• Karen Costa for her tireless trauma advocacy 
• Heidi who knows that precarious work won’t end until we change the systems
• Travis who advocates for access and disability awareness in ways I aspire to
• Meryl Evans for great resources on captioning
• Catherine Hernandez for writing Crosshairs- a book you all need to read now
• Tom Tobin and Kirsten Behling for writing an excellent and inspiring book
• Mary and Hannah for the opportunity for a great conversation
• My neighbour James for the fauxlosopher’s walk in our backyard

I know I’m probably missing folk and if I did I am sorry. I reflected on this list for a while but there are many people that I am grateful for and ideal blog lengths are under 1000 words :)

It’s a great feeling to write such a list; I suggest you try it if you have a moment- it puts a lot into perspective. Happy long weekend