As we celebrate Thanksgiving, I am thankful for many things. But the thing I am most thankful for is time.

Time to be here. To be with Ellie. To experience so many things.

Time is precious. When this day is done, it is gone. Forever. Not every day is about making memories. Sometimes it’s just about getting through. But every day I try to be thankful that I am here and able to do the things I do.

I am thankful that I have been able to choose, for the most part, how I spend my time. I have opted out of a more traditional job to find work that serves me. This choice has given me time for Ellie, which is occasionally challenging, but mostly amazing. It has meant time for the farm, which is occasionally challenging, but mostly amazing.

It has meant fitting work into my schedule when I can (mostly at night). It has meant less money, but we are fortunate that it has been enough money.

That concept of enough is important to me. Of course I would like more money. I want to give Ellie lots of opportunities and I have a long list of renovations and plans. But we have enough money to live our lives with a pretty high level of freedom. Freedom to spend our time as we want.

There is never enough money. There is never enough time.

But I try to see money as enough, and time as more valuable than anything. An extra cuddle on the couch in the morning rather than running to make breakfast and get out the door, playtime during the day and work at night, an afternoon at a playground instead of rushing to the next thing we have to do. These simple things have become so precious to me, and I try not to take them for granted.

So today, I am saying thank you. Thank you for this day. I am thankful I am here.