Top Ten Things We Are Grateful For in 2016

Top Ten Tuesday is all thanks to Broke and the Bookish!

It's been a rough month for everyone. It is not exactly the easiest thing to sit and think of the good things in life  right now, but I think that makes it important to do so.

So, that we remember, despite the terribleness working its way down and through the world, there are the lights in the dark. 

Jessie's Picks:

This is way less book-oriented than usual, but that's where my headspace is these days.

1. Books!

Books teach empathy, compassion, and how to consider another's POV and experiences. They are also just plain fun and can distrac me when I most need it. (I said less book-oriented, not book-free.)

2. The online bookish community

I've learned more about feminism/diversity/publishing, been exposed to more about the same than I ever imagined thanks to the funny, smart, honest people online, especially twitter. I am endlessly grateful to the (largely female) writers/agents/activists who put in the time, day after day, especially W/PoC.

3. Family

Both found and related, family is helping me deal with the state of things. I know not everyone is so lucky, but finding your people (which, for me is bookish community + fam) is a bulwark against the bad stuff.

4. Independent and nonprofit journalists

Being informed of what is really happening to our country and government remains key and increasingly hard to do. So for those who hunt down the stories, follow them to the often-dismissed ends, thank you. 

5. Immigrants

They've/you've/we've given this country so much of what makes it already great.

Dani's Picks:

1. My bookish friends

I know this season has been pretty garbage for us all and I don't know if I would have been able to handle some real-life crap without Jessie, Bekka, Angie, Gillian, or the dozen others who have become my best friends.

2. Authors

The ones who inspire my mind and allow me to travel away. The ones who are out there educating and fighting. The ones writing own voices. Thank you. 

3. My Job

It's high stress and 50+ hours a week, but I can't overstate the value of financial stability. Beyond that, it lets me pursue this hobby and gives me time off to drive out to Meg's gravina at the drop of a hat.

4. Planned Parenthood

Shoutout to PP for all they do, including the sterilization services I have been trying for years to gain through other channels.

5. Those who came before.

Civil rights leaders, suffragettes, Marsha Johnson and the Stonewall rioters. Now it's our turn.