It’s a few days late, but here is my annual Gratitude List — 365 days’ worth of small things noticed and appreciated. I now have 12 of these lists inhabiting my hard drive, and each one gives a snapshot of a year that is unlike those that came before. This year’s seems to be dominated by work, as I started yet another new job, and then another. There is always much to learn, much to celebrate, and much to leave behind as a fresh, new year unfolds. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

• the lost, found
• the smell of leaves under the tires of my bike, the weight of the handlebars, the whir of the wheels
• pedalling, noticing, breathing
• all of the things that are better than they were
• I, who am competent…
• I, who rocked that lesson
• and she who left it before it fell apart
• when the magic letters come together to make words
• report cards done five days early
• a down duvet
• zoom friends
• deliverance
• the paperwork
• a long prep period to rewrite my report card comments
• when they learn things
• the rain put a quick end to a very painful outdoor math lesson
• I caught S prancing to the office for a banana
• I kept last year’s sketchbooks
• I caught the last half of my French class
• tag is fun
• L had a good day
• The yellow water on the floor was largely ignored
• extra quizzes
• schoolyard coding
• hamburger soup
• a hair shuttle
• an autumn walk to the Value Mart
• getting some planning done
• approval
• they’re always good for no good reason
• the explosion happened on someone else’s watch
• I slept a long sleep
• I’ve been other places, done other things, lived other lives
• there is more to come