ALRIGHT, I'LL JINGLE . . .

Cheech is right ... why should I reserve giving thanks for one measly day a year? Bah humbug to that! Today, despite my earlier grumpiness, I discovered that I have much to be thankful for and to celebrate ...

... I stayed safe on the slick and nasty roads today, despite some really bozo-ish drivers out there. GET OFF THE ROAD, YOUS.

... a J.Crew store manager (hey, retail therapy really works sometimes) assisted me after I expressed frustration at one of his saleswomen and her incompetency. As I thanked him profusely, he began to walk away, then turned back and said "you look like you could use one of these," and handed me a $50 gift card. FIFTY DOLLARS. I didn't even know how much he had given me until the cashier rung up my purchase. And then, when I tried to find him as I left, to thank him once more, he was nowhere to be found. For real.

... I went for my quarterly haircut, and said to my lovely Maria "you know what, you've been dying to hear these words come out of my mouth. Do with my hair WHATEVER YOU WANT to do with it, whatever you have wanted to do with it since you first set eyes on my head three and a half years ago. (Just make sure it's still shoulder-length.)" Maria clapped her hands in glee, gave me a high-five, and went at it. And she did WHATEVER SHE WANTED with my hair.

... I had a great workout, and thus, feel like a buff goddess. Sometimes, no matter what reality says, how you FEEL is what really matters.

... and of course, I still have the pie crust to pound away at, and the whirring of my Empire Red KitchenAid Artisan mixer to look forward to.

So, this evening, I am thankful to God for His providence, His angels expressed through the kindness of strangers, artists who are more creative and more talented than I, endorphins, and the generosity of friends who enable me to bake my heart out.