My time is very structured. From the alarm at 5:15 each morning, to the 5:30 piano lesson in the afternoon, there is always a deadline to be met, a place to be, a paper to write. It’s daunting to think that this is what makes a productive life. Work piles up, commitments overlap, tests crop up—I get caught up in it. I’ve found that the overwhelming clutter of a crowded life can be numbing – intoxicating. I often stop and catch myself just moving from one task to the next. There’s so much to be done each day, each week, that it seems there’s no time for reflection and unwinding amidst all the calculus, U.S. history, and environmental science—all the minutia.

This Thanksgiving, I’m grateful for little moments.

I’m grateful for feelings you share in the car with your friend, framed by a modest sunset. I’m grateful for the view of Issaquah from Tiger Mountain at night, even though we never did see the Aurora Borealis. I’m grateful for the sun we had this summer.

Because as we slip into the winter months, as the days quickly pass by, it will be these memories that I’ll cherish. It’s important to appreciate the little moments: it’s all we have time for. We’re busy people. We have deadlines to meet, places to be, papers to write. I’m grateful for a break from it all. It’s something to look forward to. And when I’m up at one in the morning cramming for another APUSH test—thanks Darnell—I can appreciate the stars I see from my office window. After all, we should be happy this

Thanksgiving for what we have, and what we had.

Doctor Seuss said it best: “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”