Nasty Ones, Old and Young—

This week we have a lot to be thankful for. Our bellies and hearts disgustingly full, we look to the month of December to guide us as we wrap up old bullshit, face our judgey family members, and get all (or at the very least, some) of our ducks in a row before the beginning of a fresh new year. Deep breaths; 2020 is around the corner, folks.

That being said, we want to take the time to express our gratitude. Despite the political shit storm that rains on us every single day without rest, the impending doom of climate change killing us as a species both physically and mentally, and the monotony of simply being a human being, we must take note of all of the gifts life continues to place in our tired little hands.

It truly is too easy to mourn the past or panic about the future, the if/then space that has wasted the time of many. What we need, what every one and their mom says we need but is so hard to actually work on, is focusing on the NOW. The only way to force our fucked up brains to stop changing the channel and stay in the present moment is to talk about gratitude. What are we thankful for right now? If you’re a person that ping pongs back and forth between the past and the future with little to no space in the in-between, try writing down your gratitudes every day. Allegedly, it helps.

So we’re going to try doing that right here, right now. Behold, our word explosion of gratitude. In no particular order, drum roll please… Thank you to Greta Thunberg for saying the realest shit we’ve ever heard about our planet. Thank you to dogs for loving unconditionally. Thank you Peking duck, mashed potatoes, and road trip junk for being so fucking delicious. Thank you to self care. Thank you to saunas and women who walk on our knotted tree trunk backs. Thank you to houseplants for making people so happy just by existing. Thank you to candles that smell like tobacco and sandalwood. Thank you to bookstores for not going extinct like they said you would. Thank you for the rain in California. Thank you for the sun in New York. Thank you for community, family dinners, and nostalgic movie nights under the blankets. Thank you to family who will always take your side even when you’re being a little bitch.

Thank you to the ones who would follow us into the dark with or without a flashlight. Thank you for perspective. Thank you for wisdom. Thank you for the pain before the wisdom. Thank you for warmth. Thank you for chaos and thank you for the peace and quiet that often follows. Thank you for psilocybin and trees and tree rings and time and light years. Thank you for this year, thank you for the next.

But most importantly, thank you for the now, the present, the current state of being. Wiggle your fingers and toes—you’re here and so are we.

❤

Nasty Gehr

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