What am I thankful for? First off, I'm thankful for my hands, to create, to hold, to learn through touch. I'm thankful that these hands have only failed me in the sense that they haven't touched enough, haven't created enough, but I know that they will in time. Maybe not enough, but they will create more. Secondly, I'm thankful for my heart and its ability to love and forgive people. It doesn't matter how many times I've been hurt, how many times anxiety makes my heart stutter, how many times depression has caused my heart to almost stop. It's always is there, a constant beating reminder that you're alive, you're alive, you're alive. Take another step, take another step, take another step. It's okay, it's okay, it's okay. My heart constantly reminds me to love, to forgive, to keep going and to live, another day. Just one more, and maybe another after that, if you let the sunshine into your soul. If you let other people, new, wonderful people replace those that have done harm, let other people that might be as tarnished as I am in to understand and take a place in the shelves of my memory, to take up more space but never replace those that have loved me and have been loved. And, of course, thirdly, I'm thankful for those people. The people that have loved me, the people that I have loved, and even some that I've hated. I'm thankful for the people that have inspired me to be a better person or to push myself where I might normally never have gone. Without any of them, I would not be who I am today. Without pain, there is no pleasure, but without pleasure, life is not worth living. And that's my last point, the last thing I'm thankful for. I'm thankful for myself, for whatever strength I have that prevented me from giving up. I'm thankful that I have the will to persevere, to continue to follow my dreams and try to do some good along the way. I'm thankful for the gifts that have been given to me, the knowledge I've acquired after all this time, 17 years of time. I've learned so much, and I'm always going to be ready to learn more. I WANT to learn more. I never want to stop learning, experiencing, living life and trying my hardest. I'm thankful for all of that, and I'm ready to continue being thankful for all of that, everyday. I'm ready to continue on, and start my own independent chapter into the wild blue yonder.