So much thanks

I can pretty much assume that if we’re going to talk about our blessings this Thanksgiving, that there will be some common things 90 percent of us say. Our families and friends. The servicemen and women who protect this great country. Sunsets. Bacon.

Just a few days ago, I even wrote about how thankful I am that former students from more than a decade ago still reach out to me to let me know I’ve had some kind of impact on their lives.

I want to push myself farther this year and give 45 very specific reasons to give thanks – one for every birthday I’ve had. So we’ll take the ones from above as givens and shoot for a more personalized list.

1. Jazz bands
   
   
2. The #oklaed online community
   
   
3. Reruns of Thanksgiving episodes of Friends
4. Coffee and donuts
   
5. Books
   
6. Free songs from the Foo Fighters
   
7. Taco Bueno after bad banquet food
8. A leadership team that really gets me
   
   
9. A former staff that did too
   
10. A great boss and mentor in Moore
11. Really, a lot of great leaders and co-workers throughout my career
12. Getting to meet Diane Ravitch
    
13. Bloggers, parents, and other rebels throughout Oklahoma who fight for children and their schools
14. Superhero day at elementary schools
    
15. Speaking of superheroes, Baker Mayfield
    
    
16. Speaking of superheroes, Russell Westbrook (featuring unicorns and rainbows)
    
17. The first day of school
    
18. Breaks
19. High school classmates who are long-time Mid-Del teachers
    
20. Tom Petty
    
    
21. Friends who can quote Hemingway
22. Friends who can quote Shawshank, Princess Bride, and Seinfeld, on command
23. Birthday wishes from Joe Dorman
    
24. Nerd humor
    
    
25. Humble beginnings
    
    
26. Independent thought
27. Guilty pleasures
    
    
28. Austin being weird
    
29. A state superintendent who is the real deal
    
30. A school board and community that took a chance on me
31. Students in leadership
    
32. Students in leadership volunteering to moderate chats
    
33. Running
    
34. Skiing
35. Surprise reunions at holidays
36. First-world problems
37. Words
38. Old movies
39. Students who step outside their comfort zones
40. Teachers who step outside their comfort zones
41. The finales of Jon Stewart on the Daily Show, the Colbert Report, and Letterman
42. A new Sarah Vowell book
43. Reporters who give public schools a fair shake
44. The opportunity to work with graduate students
45. The future, whatever it holds

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. And if you get tired of leftovers, go get a taco or some Funyuns. And read a book or two.