Thankful for Maple Syrup Belly Buttons

On the eve of the eve of Thanksgiving, thoughts of gratitude are swarming my brain.

During our writing lesson today, I tried to have my Kindergarten kids write about what they were thankful for and one of my high energy students shouted, "hey! My belly button smells like maple syrup!"

In that moment, her ADD and excitement over something unexpected is what I am grateful for this year.

I have my health, I have a wonderful family, always willing to challenge me yet also keep me grounded to who I am as a Conway. I have my students, who frustrate me only about half as often as they make me smile. I have a roof over my head and food in my refrigerator. I have two years of a service corps under my belt (i.e. two years of perspective, challenges, insight and love).

So even though my belly button does not smell like maple syrup, I have a lot to be thankful for.

However, this Thanksgiving seems to bring my heart and mind to pause a wee bit. I have spent Thanksgiving away from family before but this is the first one where I am spending the holiday by myself. I am excited for the time alone but all that time alone has made me more aware of the changes I've made in my life.

The distance between my family/friends and myself is more apparent now that I don't have a volunteer program to focus on. In short, I miss them. I miss being around friends who have been there through my awkward middle school years or friends who have seen me change through my college years. I miss the close-knit relationships I have back in Washington. I love the friends I have in DC, but it just isn't the same. Friends in Washington are getting married, having babies, starting new careers, moving, etc. and I feel like I am sitting on the sidelines, watching.

I decided to stay on the east coast because I wanted to challenge myself. I wanted to blaze my own path, without a volunteer program to direct me or family nearby to support me. I wanted to feel self-sufficient and independent. Well, I got it; I have it.

With that said, I am grateful for these past four months of self-sufficiency. I am grateful for the friends who have supported me before and during these past three years of east coast livin'. I am grateful for the children that broke my heart in Bridgeport and my current children in my Wolfpack classroom. I am grateful because all these experiences and people have helped me to realize that I belong on the west coast; my heart is there and my soul is there. It is my hope that after 5 years of living on the east coast is done, I will pack up a U-Haul and move back to Washington (that's 2015, if you're wondering).

I am grateful for so much and this time apart from those I love only amplifies that. I have been so fortunate and so blessed with the opportunities given to me. I thank God, my friends, my family and my co-workers for continuing to shape, challenge and support me. I am grateful for many things, especially little moments of unexpected silliness that help remind me to get excited about the little things, like maple syrup belly buttons.