Throwback Thankful Things Thursday!

Do you remember Thankful Things Thursday?!

I swear I’m still a good, honest, grateful person (well, most days). I just don’t do such a good, honest, grateful job of writing about my thankfulness.

Today that. all. changes.

Today is the triumphant return of my beloved Thankful Things Thursday. Without further blah blah, here we go!

I’m thankful for clean laundry. I’m not thankful for having to put it away.

I’m thankful for when the mail comes. Now that we’re getting RSVP cards back for the wedding, I am obsessed with checking the mail every day.

I’m thankful for my wonderful girlfriends who threw me a wonderful bachelorette party. The party was here in NYC (I was going to do a full recap but then life happened and now too much time has passed I think) and my only request was “wineries.”

We went out to dinner at one of my favorite spots Friday night (and everyone wore workout clothes in my honor! do they know me or what?), and then Saturday we were up early to head out east for some vineyard hopping.

Without doing a big long rundown, the weekend was low-key and no drama and fun and I got to drink good wine and wear spandex the whole time. A very happy Ali, indeed.

Most importantly, I got to spend a weekend with some of my very favorite people, and I can’t wait to hang with them all again in just 2.5 months (whoa.)

I’m thankful for people who are good and honest and kind. Some people are assholes, you know? Some people thrive off saying nasty things to other people, and build themselves up by putting others down. Gross. (Remember, say it with me: “I’m 30. I don’t have time for this shit.”) Running into people like that, even if only sporadically (heyo Clueless reference!), sure makes me appreciate the great, genuine, lovable people in this world. And there are plenty of them! (There could be more though. Be one of those people. Be lovable!)

And on that note…

I’m thankful for having so many college friends in my life. I was at a college friend’s wedding in Vermont a few weeks ago, along with several other college buddies. We were talking over lunch and realized holy crap, we’ve been friends for more than 10 years. That’s pretty amazing.

I definitely still have college friends and former roommates I talk to daily (yo Dee, yo Lone, sup?), and others I may only check in with when one of our ridiculous ex-boyfriends posts something laughable and amazing on Facebook and we want to giggle about it and reminisce and question all the wretched decisions we used to make (not including going to the cafeteria for two bacon egg & cheese sandwiches on a hungover Sunday morning, because that was always a great healing decision). But still, to have them all in my life after “all this time?” It’s awesome and I cherish those friendships so much.

I am — always and forever — thankful for my yoga practice. It is a practice, indeed. Last week I went to six classes. This week? Zero. I’m not as consistent as I’d like because my studio is all the way downtown and I’m all the way uptown (life is hard), but every single time I go there I leave feeling amazing. And even with a fairly inconsistent practice, my handstand and forearm stand are still kickin’!

I’m truly very thankful for people who pay me in a timely fashion. Freelancing is hard. And sometimes getting paid for the work you do is really hard.

I’m so very thankful and excited for the new HOKA Cliftons. Have you seen them? Oh god they’re so beautiful. I’m dying to get my wide little feet into these shoes.

I’m thankful for raw, wonderful, no-extra-stuff-needed jicama. I’ve been eating it at rapid speeds. I should probably find out if it’s healthy. It’s a vegetable, but is it healthy like spinach or healthy like the way I say pizza is healthy because it has tomatoes (vegetables) and cheese (dairy)?

I’m thankful for living in New York City. Increasingly in love with this city every single day.

I’m thankful for my bike! I’ve been riding once a week or so, which isn’t much, but it’s a nice way to mix things up, especially since I’m trying not to overdo it with the running right now.

I’m thankful for convenient friendships. I’m not an asshole. (Ehhh…) I just love it when I have friends I get to see regularly and easily, you know? Like that’s what’s so great about running buddies and November Project people. You know you get to see them at least every Wednesday and Friday morning. It’s great. No long text chains and elaborate cancellations and reschedulings and impossibilities about it.

I’m thankful for my very good parents. The other night my dad asked, “So a taco bar and a mashed potato bar and pasta? That’s a lot of carbs at a wedding…” and I was like, “DAD, YES, CORRECT, CARBS WE NEED THEM.” That was basically it. That was our biggest wedding “fight.” My parents have been helpful and supportive and totally dreamy when it comes to all things wedding. (There’s a good chance I’m secretly up for adoption right now, though. How do I check? Is there an app for that? Like PetFinder for adult humans?)

I’m thankful for watermelon. I can’t get enough.

OBVIOUSLY THANKFUL FOR PUPPIES. I can’t get enough of those, either. Here are some of my latest puppy friends…

I’m thankful I’ll be skipping town for the weekend for some much-needed R&R in Fire Island! It’s good to have friends with “summer houses” and “country houses” and “beach houses.” See ya on the other side [of Long Island Sound or whatever body of water I will be crossing to get there].

I’m thankful for my health. Not a single day goes by that I don’t recognize how lucky I am to be in good health.

PLAY ALONG. It’s good for your soul. What has you feeling good and grateful today?