Thanksgiving in the Southern Hemisphere.

Howdy haw,

This afternoon I was reading a great post by Mimi at Pursuit of Healthfulness that detailed all the small things she was thankful for in the lead up to Thanksgiving. Apart from the unfortunate element of turkey torture, Thanksgiving in itself is a really nice concept; a national holiday that is not a commercialized frenzy of giftage, rather a chance to express gratitude and participate in a little gung-ho gluttony (this aspect I find particularly inviting).

Dear Australia, please get on the mission to instigate some kind of secular, feast-centric holiday.

Today I am therefore taking it upon myself to bring a little thanksgiving spirit to Bonne Santé, despite Australia not being invited to the party. Because lately, i’ve been thinking about just how thankful I am, for so many things.

I am thankful for this fabulous parcel that arrived on my doorstep this afternoon, from Michelle at Health Food Lover.

I won her MSM shampoo & conditioner giveaway, right as I was lamenting having to part with another sizable sum to replenish my O & M supply. I get so excited when I win things! ‘Tis a rare occurrence. Not only that, but I was touched that Michelle even threw in some lovely extras that included a new stash of carob powder, seaweed and hibiscus tea. How could it be that she knows my love for all three? I do not recall being overly vocal about my seaweed fetish…

In this sense, I am incredibly thankful for the new friends I am making via this crazy little blog. An amazing, like-minded support network is just a click away, and these health gurus, goddesses and talented chefs have single-handledly inspired me to make some huge changes in my life.

I’m thankful that the stars aligned this afternoon, and I had all the ingredients on hand to make the Happy Herbivore’s vegan black-bean brownies.

These were baked with a friend in mind, but I’m thankful that I took the liberty of sampling 1/4 of the batch pre-giftage. I’m also thankful that there are another two lurking in my refrigerator for dessert.

I am not thankful that said friend reads this blog, and will now know that he received only half the intended batch of birthday brownies. Burp.

I am thankful I persevered with running, even though I used to have the stamina of a three-legged goat with emphysema. Thankfully, I can now hold my own on the pavement, and am working towards participating in my first fun run in December. I can’t believe that I now love running so much that I braved the torrential downpour on Saturday just to get my endorphin fix.

I am not thankful that I inadvertently entered a one-woman wet t-shirt competition starring me, Katey ‘white shirt, pink sports bra’ Payne. I won, in case you were wondering.

I am so supremely thankful that I have this wonderful woman in my life.

And that she is so happy.

I am also thankful I did not ingest this ballsy little guy who was hidden amongst my dinner greens. He must have been living in the fridge for days, but was still slugging about, waggling his antlers happily. I took this to mean that he too was thankful, as I took him downstairs and set him free on a pot plant 🙂

I’m thankful that I have functional appendages, the right to free speech, and live in a country that (although politically conservative on a lot of fronts) allows me to determine my own destiny. I often forget that in some parts of the world, women are not so lucky.

Thankfully, my hair is the kind of red that falls between blonde and ginger (perhaps with a little chemical persuasion) and I am able to tolerate sunshine enough to walk with the regular folk in the waking hours. I have ranga friends who are not so lucky, and are relegated to a life not dissimilar to that of a vampire. Eating your superfoods sure helps to foster some inbuilt solar protection!

I am thankful for food & friends, together if possible.

And supportive boyfriends who tell you, with eyes watering, that your experimental raw creation was an absolute delight.

I’m also thankful to you all; those people who regularly stop by my corner of the blogosphere (for reasons that shall forever remain a mystery). You make this wannabe naturopath feel more confident and determined to keep writing and pursuing my dreams of world peace/health/domination. I love you guys!

What are you thankful for?