This year, we have a lot to be thankful for on LD. For one, we exist, have readers, and are growing bigger every day, whereas last year we weren’t even a thought in our Founder’s head. We’ve had the opportunity to share our stories, reach new audiences, and meet and befriend our far-strung writers. We’ve grown as writers and people, united a group of disparate voices under one platform, and shockingly had fun while we do it. So it being ’tis the season, so to speak, we asked our beloved writers what they are thankful for this year.
Lindsey:
This year I’ve graduated college and found myself with no job. You’re probably surprised to hear me say how thankful I am for that, but it’s given me an opportunity to spend more time with my family. The past three years I’ve been away at college, and now I have a new nephew who is literally the cutest thing alive. My parents have been so kind to give me a chance to find out what I need to do, and I couldn’t be more glad about my life this Thanksgiving.
Katey:
It’s hard for me to narrow down the things I’m thankful for this year. I’m thankful for professors and colleagues that believe in me enough to help me achieve my goals. I’m thankful for snagging a job in the journalism industry in my favorite city in the world—Austin, Texas—before I’ve even graduated college. I’m thankful for a father who puts me first, whether that means driving to Austin to help me fix my car or taking out tens of thousands of dollars of student loans just so I can graduate from my dream school. I’m thankful for that dream school and the opportunities it’s given me, but I’m REALLY thankful to be saying goodbye to it in less than two weeks. I’m thankful for friends who understand when I blow them off for work and who are always there with open arms when I come running. I can’t really think of anything in my life that doesn’t make me feel thankful this year.
Bridey:
This year was a big one. By the time New Years rolls around, my partner and I will have finished graduate school, moved across country, started new jobs, and celebrated our first Thanksgiving and third Christmas away from family. I’m thankful for a lot of things all the time, but this year one really stands out: We found a city we love calling home. It’s taken a lot of moving, a lot of redirection, and a lot of sudden obstacles to get here, but finally having a sense of settling down was worth the effort. And all that work makes it mean so much more when we look at each other and say, “I love living here.”
Erin:
I’m thankful for Literally, Darling. I know, I know—it’s corny, but it gives some structure to something I love to do. I’ve always been a “when the mood strikes me” kind of writer, but now that I have people to bounce ideas off of, deadlines to meet, and a forum to post and engage with others (that sometimes puts my work on “Huffington Post!”), I’ve been more inspired and less afraid to write. I’m also thankful for my little cat Shiloh who can always knows the right time to snuggle. Finally, I’m thankful for the friends and family that surround me (and put up with my cat obsession). This is the perfect time of year to tell everyone close to you how amazing they are, and my friends constantly impress me.
Eric:
I have a lot to be thankful for this year. I have an amazing job that enabled me to buy a new car and my first apartment. And it’s a job that I like. I didn’t have to settle for the first thing that came my way. This job lets me use the experience I’ve gathered at other places and actually use it. I like my coworkers, which is really important to me, and I like my employees, too. Everyone is so friendly. I don’t think I could’ve found a better job if I tried and the fact that this one kind of fell into my lap is still astounding to me. My thesis only needs one more round of revisions before it’s finally complete. Finally, I’m most thankful for my family. Their support and love is tangible, and I’m so happy to have people I can depend on when I really need them.
Angela:
I am most thankful for the opportunity to study abroad. Living in London has been an amazing experience and I would not have been able to afford to go without my parents’ help. Not only is it a beautiful city with thousands of things to do, but the people and culture I have experienced here have taught me so much. No one in my family has ever studied abroad before, and my father has never even been out of the United States. The sacrifices they have made to ensure that I have the most amazing time, and get to check off everything on my list makes this experience even more meaningful. They have been there through all the ups and downs, and that time I missed my bus to Paris, cheering me on and calling bus companies from across the pond.
Katie:
I have a lot to be thankful for this year, and most of it revolves around LD. I’m thankful that I was stressed beyond compare last year and in desperate need of an outlet, which prompted me to think up starting this place. I’m thankful that when I put out the call to my nearest and dearest friends they gathered round for brunch and said, “This is brilliant! We’re in!” I’m thankful that my brilliant, beautiful, smart-ass, and kind sister Hope and cousin Melissa have been with me every step of the way and that this is a family venture we can be proud about. I’m thankful to the writers and people I have met along the way who didn’t know me at all and chose to tie their fates to this wagon anyway. I’m thankful for having parents who despite me saying “OMG DON’T READ IT” respected that and didn’t call me out on being a 13-year-old girl, nervous about sharing her diary, and even more so, when sanity returned, that they supported me and it every step of the way. When I’m at my very wit’s end and overstressed from work and LD they let me rant and rave, then offer me a cup of tea and let me talk myself into a solution. Every day my animals give me strength and comfort to see my way to the next day, make me a little less lonely in this world, and make me laugh. I’m fortunate to have been able to travel to Baton Rouge and visit one of my favorite places and dearest friends, as well as taking a sister road trip through Scotland and falling in love all over again with the U.K., making lifelong memories. I have worked very hard, perhaps harder than ever before this year, and I have seen the fruits of my labor turn into a period of my life I will never forget. I have been blessed with bounties this year and for that I will forever be thankful.
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