Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving is maybe the most American of all holidays. We don’t have anything quite like it in the UK, where we do have something analogous to just about everything else. What I like about Thanksgiving is the idea of taking a day to be thankful and grateful for the things and people you have in your life. I’m a keen journaler, and over the last few years I’ve tried to incorporate “gratitude” into that. Each day I do my best to focus on something I’m grateful for — it’s a worthwhile practice. So the idea of everyone gathering around a table, sharing a meal, and speaking these things aloud is an appealing one to me.

Due to the somewhat strange nature of my life, I also have the opportunity to share what I’m thankful for with many more people, so that is what I want to do today:

• This year my wife and I got to welcome our daughter Sophia into the world. I am beyond thankful that we were so lucky. She is such a wonderful child, and we are truly fortunate to get to raise her.
• I am thankful for my wife, Adina. Not just because of what she went through to bring our daughter to us, but also for everything she does each and every day to make sure Sophia is happy and healthy. Parenting is really hard — most of the time much harder than you imagine it will be — and it’s often awe-inspiring to see the lengths she is willing to go.
• I am thankful for my friends and co-workers who supported me during my parental leave, and who have been excited and encouraging as I enter this new phase of my life.
• I am also thankful for the friendships that have strengthened. There are people in my life I’ve become much closer to in the last year because we’re in similar points in our lives, and we’re able to be more vulnerable with each other.
• I am thankful to everyone who supports my work in the many ways people do — whether that’s tuning in to a show or being a member. It means so much to me that people keep listening after so many years, and the support we receive is often humbling.
• Similarly, I am very thankful for the kind comments I’ve received about the State of the Workflow series on Cortex. I know change can be tough, and the fact that so many people are enjoying these episodes means an awful lot to me. This series has given me renewed confidence in my ability and creativity, and I’m grateful I get to share that.
• I am thankful to David and Stephen for bringing me a new opportunity with Cross Forward. This work has been really exciting and interesting so far, and I’m very much looking forward to sharing the things I’m working on as they begin to take shape next year. My job has been the same for a very long time — at least, long for me — so having a new challenge has been invigorating.
• And on that note, I’m especially grateful for those of you reading this blog. It’s been interesting to write something weekly again. I’m enjoying the practice, and I’m happy you’re out there.

Finally, I want to thank everyone who has bought anything from Cortex Brand in the last year. The products we sell are very important to me, as they are physical manifestations of my own work. Everything else I do is digital, but the tactility of these products is something I hold very dear. And in the time-honoured tradition of Black Friday, we’re doing our first-ever sale — you can get 20% off all of our products right now.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all.