Gratitude is defined as the quality of being thankful; a readiness to show appreciation for good things and to return good things to others. I’ve been tasked, over the next week, to think about gratitude on a daily basis and it occurred to me that there was no better place to start than to list some of the writing related things for which I am grateful. Now these are in no particular order, I’m not more grateful for number one than I am for number four, they’re simply listed as they came into my head. But I challenge my fellow writers out there to think about their life, specifically their writing and ask themselves: what am I grateful for?
- I’m grateful for libraries (and by extension, librarians)
Ever since I was a child, I have been in love with libraries. After all, libraries are where books live and with the help of friendly neighborhood librarians, I could access them all. No tome was ever out-of-bounds to me in any library, whether it was the large public affair downtown or the small, several shelf wide collection in my father’s study. Without libraries I should have never come to adore the written word as I have today and without librarians I wouldn’t have dipped my toe in a fifth of the amazing fantasy worlds I now know.
- I’m grateful for other writers
Whether they be world-famous or just getting started like me, other writers provide constant inspiration for me. They help encourage me to keep trying to perfect my art, offer praise and critique when necessary, and continually give me something to strive for. Some of my best friends over the years have been writers, as well as my biggest heroes. Writers have not just shaped my dreams, they’ve shaped the kind of person I am today.
- I’m grateful for my parents
Not once have my parents told me I couldn’t be a writer. Not once have they shown anything but support for my artistic endeavors, whatever shape they might take in the moment. They took a bookish young girl and told her that it was alright to be who she was, a gift I can never repay them for. Through actions and words, they’ve encouraged me to fight my demons and reach for the stars and be a writer, if that’s what I truly want to be.
- I’m grateful for my imagination
Sometimes it doesn’t always work when or how I want it to, but in the end my imagination is always there for me. It takes me on weird and wonderful adventures and encourages me to share them with others. My imagination makes me brave, makes me curious, makes me eager to engage with the world around me and it also makes sure that, as long as I am open to it, I’m never, ever bored.
- I’m grateful for language
What a gift to be able to communicate with people from across the world through a series of symbols and sounds! How miraculous to be able to twist and jumble and remix those symbols into patterns they’ve never taken on before to say something new, or something familiar and comforting, or something sweet, or something strange. Language, the ability to communicate, is something I should never take for granted.
Robin Jeffrey 