Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is my favorite American holiday. Being away from home I don't get to celebrate Indian festivals on a grand scale- I don't have holidays on the days of the festival, everyone is busy and I don't have the right things at home to perform an elaborate puja. 

Hence I try to compensate for things I miss out during Thanksgiving. Its about being thankful for all the great things / people in my life and spending time with my loved ones by sharing an elaborate meal. Whats good about this holiday is that I don't have to worry about getting the customs right- I just invite my friends over for dinner and we have some fun. Plus there is the added bonus of looking forward to black friday deals. I would say going to a shopping mall at midnight and shopping all through the night has been my thanksgiving tradition.

Thanksgiving dinner- 2013 @ my place.

Apart from all the shopping, meeting friends and eating rich food -- the tradition I love the most is making a list of things I am thankful for, because each time I do it, I have a new found appreciation about the things/people I have in my life.

So here's my list for this year: ( This is going to be a long post so please bear with me)

1. I am thankful for the wonderful family I have- This year I became closer to my parents and I am mending the distance I had developed with my mother over the years.

2. I am thankful for the wonderful friends I have- who stuck by me through my adversities and helped me become a better person. (Manish Harnur, Shankar Ganesan, Vallabh Prakash, Shreyas Payal, Deepika Podila, Arvind Iyer, Vikram Ramanarayanan, Poornima Balakrishnan, Suhas Thotada Ravi, Prathyusha Chilagani, Sanjay Shanthakumar, Kathik Shekar)

3. I am thankful for finding a job that I love: I found this job when all others failed and I was about to  go back home. It was a happy accident. My learning curve has been exponential. 

4. I am thankful for all things related to USC: Leavey Library, fountain near Tommy Trojan, Ground Zero, Alumni Park, Olin Hall of Engineering.

5. I am thankful for the beautiful apartment I am living in.

6. I am thankful for the city I am living in. I am exploring LA and its been an awesome experience so far- the beaches, museums, restaurants, coffee bars. The list goes on and on.

7. I am thankful for all the holidays I could take this year- Yosemite national park, Acadia national park, Death Valley national park, Catalina Island and the upcoming trip to Florida :D

8. I am thankful for the invention of anti- depressants and ADHD medicines.

9. I am thankful for the existence of the following technologies- Internet, Cell phone, Air Travel,  MacBook Air, Kindle reader, Ipod, digital cameras,Netflix, Pandora.

10. I am thankful for being able to understand myself, re-discover my passions and over come adversity.

11. I am thankful for all the courses I learned/ learning on Coursera:

12. Last but not the least ( actually this is the most important one)- I am thankful for prayers: Hanuman Chalisa, Vishnu Sahasranamam, Aditya Hridayam, Bhajagovindam, Guru Bhakti Geeta and various devotional songs which has been a guiding lamp, source of solace and tranquility in my life.

Happy Thanksgiving!