Do you ever feel like the world is just moving too fast?

No? Well think about this--recently there's been a plethora of new memes on Twitter that have gone viral and have been replicated over and over again (like everything on Twitter really). In the days surrounding the end of October and the beginning of November, people everywhere were getting in on the trend of "Me on October 31 vs Me on November 1st." Basically, this trend grew and was comical because of the comedy and truth in how quickly people are to move from Halloween straight to Christmas. I mean really, people go from this...

...to this, as soon as November begins

It's absolutely crazy! As soon as the clock strikes midnight on October 31st, people shed their Halloween costumes, crank up the Christmas music and start donning their red and green. But don't you think there's something wrong with this? We're completely skipping over one of the greatest holidays, in my opinion. Sure, Halloween is a ton of fun, getting to dress up and get tons of candy. Really, who could hate that? And Christmas is absolutely great too--candy canes, trees, stockings, eggnog, Santa Clause. It's the most wonderful time of the year right? But somehow everyone seems to forget that Thanksgiving is equally as awesome. Okay, well you don't get candy or presents or anything like that and you can't jam to a Maria Carey Thanksgiving tune, but there's so much more to it that makes it just as special.

First of all, the food. Who doesn't love food--especially the kind that's unique to celebrating Thanksgiving? As a college student, I cannot explain how excited I am to get to have a homemade meal made up of all of my favorites--turkey, not instant mashed potatoes, creamy mac and cheese, and of course my mom's dressing. Well, really I'd be excited to get any kind of homemade meal, even if it wasn't the bomb food that comes with Thanksgiving. (One can only do dining hall pizza and quesadillas for so long before they get old...)

But even better than food (yes that's possible) is getting to see family and friends. This is the time of year that's like a big ole family reunion. Everyone sits around telling funny stories about the past and fellowships together. Personally, I'm super excited to see my family I haven't seen in a while, along with some of my best friends that I don't get to see nearly as often as I'd like to. I love Thanksgiving because it's a time to be reunited with loved ones, and it shouldn't be rushed out of the way to make room for the Christmas season.

But besides the food and the friends and the fun, Thanksgiving was really meant as a time to be thankful. Thankful for the things we have, the gifts and talents we've been blessed with, thankful for people that care about us, thankful for all of the small things we take for granted. Speaking of that, coming to college I've realized that I'm so thankful for a lot of things, some of these that I didn't realize until they were taken away (aka a big bed and my own shower). I've been so blessed, so here's just a small list of things I'm thankful for this year:

1. Jesus

2. Family and friends that love me.

3. My dog (and all dogs really).

4. Nice weather and cool fall days.

5. Queso and chips.

6. Driving with the windows down.

7. A big bed, my own room, and my own bathroom.

8. The opportunity to get an education.

9. Good music.

10. Iced coffee.

11. The ocean.

12. Sleeping in.

13. Sunsets.

14. Hugs

That's only a small fraction of the things I'm thankful for. If I tried to list them all, you'd be reading this all day. I think instead of rushing from one big holiday to the next, skipping from Halloween straight to Christmas, we should pause. Pause and take time for Thanksgiving. Not only the holiday, but the act. Turkey Day is right around the corner so just take a few minutes to realize all you have to be thankful for, and be thankful.