39 thoughts of gratitude on my 39th birthday

For my 39th birthday, I thought it would be nice to reflect on the things for which I’m grateful in my 39 years of life thus far.

Today, on my 39th birthday, I am thankful for…

1. My hubs and best friend who makes me laugh and buys me Smoothie King when I feel sick
2. My girlfriends who have celebrated my ups and carried me through my downs
3. My guy friends who treat me like one of them and call me out when I refuse another drink
4. My trainer who pushes me to suck it up and work out harder
5. My pops who, although reticent, I know is proud of my accomplishments
6. My mama who did her best to raise me for as long as she could
7. My cousins who are like siblings to me
8. My aunts and uncles who helped raise me after my mama passed
9. Being able to snowboard despite getting old
10. Not being able to see how steep the mountain is or how close I’m getting to the cliff when I snowboard
11. All the opportunities being on MasterChef has presented me
12. The opportunity to open my very first restaurant, The Blind Goat, later this year
13. My two geriatric dogs, even though they require home-cooked meals now and lack bladder control
14. My in-laws who treat my geriatric dogs like their grandchildren, cooking congee for them and dog-sitting them when we’re traveling
15. Wisdom that comes with maturity
16. My eternal curiosity and hunger to learn
17. Pizza
18. Sushi
19. Vietnamese noodle soups
20. Houston, my hometown
21. Bellaire Boulevard where there are tons of delicious Vietnamese food
22. Dark chocolate
23. This time and place where as an Asian-American woman with a vision impairment, I can still be successful
24. Being able to travel the world
25. Nature and the rejuvenation it provides
26. My comfortable bed
27. Sleep
28. All of my followers on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
29. Accessible technology like my Apple iPhone and MacBook and Aira
30. Our house, our car, our clothes, and the fact that we can afford these things
31. Food!
32. Community
33. Solid television shows like “Atlanta” (currently my favorite show) and “The West Wing” (which I’m currently rewatching for the fourth time on Netflix)
34. Music
35. Meds that help us through physically tough times
36. My health insurance that helps me afford my necessary meds
37. My comprehensive health care team, from doctors to nurses to technicians to receptionists
38. Books, both audio and Braille
39. My having survived 39 years on this earth: all the tough times I’ve been through and the stronger, more compassionate person it’s made of me