Thanks

I had originally promised one of our teammates, Ben - whom you all know has been stuck aqua jogging with me in the pool for the past few weeks due to a not so fun injury - to write a really long and wonderful blog about how incredibly awesome aqua jogging really is. I agreed to do so because the very last time we had to pool run together (hopefully for a long while now that we are both running without pain...knock on wood) Ben was.....NOT very optimistic, something that is unusual for him. Now if any of you have ever run in the pool (i.e aqua jogged) you know that it really IS NOT wonderful and can seem like the most horrible thing in the world somedays! Anyway, the next day I had my very first hard interval workout with the team. It did not go very well. Lets just say, I'm not quite in the shape I was over the summer haha! On our cool down after the workout I started to think about writing this blog about how 'wonderful' aqua jogging is and I realized something. I realized that, despite how horrible the pool seemed compared to running, I was so very thankful that I was able to continue training in the pool, thinking how much worse that workout would have been if I hadn't been able to cross train at all.

Then I started to think about all of the things I am thankful or grateful for and what a lucky girl I am. So given the fact that Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and that most people overlook it due to the excitement of Christmas, I have decided to make a list of the things I am most thankful for, one for each day of the month.

Things that I am most thankful for are:
1. My family - Without them I would not be here. They are the most supportive and wonderful people in the world and I love them dearly (even when they drive me nuts on trips home)
2. My friends - Lets face it, life would be so much harder without them, they get you through the toughest times like fender benders in the pitch black of night in the middle of no where (thank you Jason!)
3. My teammates and my coach - Without them I would be miserably training alone in a concrete jungle. I am so grateful to be part of such a fun team with a great coach!
4. Running! Without running I would probably pull my hair out some days, running is such a great way to clear the mind and let out some stress :)
5. My health - Without it, I would not be able to run and then I would just be cranky! Without it I also could not do the simple things in life that we take for granted like walking or even getting out of bed in the morning.
6. My education - It saddens me to think of children who do not have the opportunity to go to school and learn how to read or write.
7. Having a roof over my head - one of the worst things to see is a lonely old man sleeping on a park bench in the dead of winter, something I have seen all too often in Boston. I am so grateful for my warm bed and the roof that covers it!
8. Chicken, vegetables and people who are responsible for the invention of pasta - without them I might starve!
9. Deep tissue massages - While painful and often extremely uncomfortable, I feel like a million bucks the next day!
10. Doctors - While they don't always tell you what you want to hear and can even make you really angry sometimes, they have helped me overcome some terrible injuries that I probably wouldn't have figured out on my own (though given my injury history, I could probably read my own MRI's and XRays now)!
11. Cross training (ie the pool, bike or any other piece of machinery that has allowed me to train like crazy without further injuring myself) - without it, I would be in terrible shape and getting in shape would take WAY too long!
12. Having lived in both the country and the city - I've had the pleasure of going hiking both in the mountains and through the woods, swimming in lakes, climbing trees (falling out them on occasion), being able to run down the middle of the road without seeing a single car...all things I would not get to experience in a city. Living in Boston taught me how much more I loved living in the country! I have become much more outgoing and have met so many interesting and different people living in the city that I never would have met in the small town of Jaffrey where I grew up.
13. The seasons - There is nothing more beautiful than a fall day in New Hampshire, having two feet of snow on Christmas in the winter, the smell of fresh cut grass in the spring and a the warmth of the sun on a hot summer afternoon.
14. GPS and maps - without them I would always be late for everything because I have the worst sense of direction in the world!
15. Working with Kids - I have taught children from inner city elementary schools how to ride bicycles in after school programs. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing a small child who has never even touched a bike let alone ridden one, whiz by you with a smile on their face yelling 'look at me, look at me, I can do it!' Kids are so much brighter and more intelligent than adults give them credit for!
16. The sun - Without it, the world would be a very dark, cold and gloomy place!
17. Change - Life would be really, really boring if things never changed.
18. Memories - Having lots of good memories reassures me that I've done lots of fun things in my life.
19. Hugs - A good hug can make anyone feel better!
20. Laughter - I love hearing people laugh, it just makes me happy.
21. My Eyesight - About five months ago I had corrective eye surgery so I no longer have to wear glasses or contacts. It was the best decision of my life and I owe a huge thank you to my grandmother for this. I can't describe how amazing it is to go from not being able to see an inch in front of your face to reading a road sign over 100 feet away!
22. Making other people smile - It makes me feel wonderful to know that I can make other people smile or laugh, even if it is at the expense of my own embarrassment :)
23. Soldiers - Without them, we wouldn't have any of the privileges we have today.
24. Fruit smoothies - There are no words... :)
25. Challenges - Life would be boring if everything were easy.
26. Meeting new people - because I talk to everyone and anyone, I meet lots of interesting people and hear really neat stories. I once met a man in our hotel pool on the other side of the country, who used to go to school in the town next to mine. He used to hang out at the little convenient store in my hometown that my grandmother was a manger of that went out of business many many years ago. The world really is a small place!
27. Sleep - I know that when I go to sleep I get to wake up the next day and start a new adventure.
28. Good Conversation - I just LOVE to talk, enough said!
29. In the Arena - for allowing me to be a part of this team and to reach my goals as both an athlete and an individual who loves working with people.
30. YOU who are reading this blog - thank you for your support of our team and our efforts to make a difference.

Thanksgiving is a day to remember the things we are most thankful for, even the smallest things that we often forget about. Enjoy the holiday, enjoy the food and remember all the little things you are thankful for. I apologize to Ben once again for not telling the world all about the joys of aqua jogging and how awesome it is as promised...maybe next time :)

Andrea