Some Things I Should've Been More Thankful For

I always hated that moment at the Thanksgiving table when I was forced into saying what I was thankful for.  I can't remember anything that I might have said at the time.  I usually tried to make a joke thinking it would take the uncomfortable attention away from me, but it really made things worse.  One thing I never did was recite the usual list of items that everyone else was thankful for like family, friends and health.  At the time it seemed too predictable.  Too recitable. 


But as the years have passed and the miles from home have increased I've been thinking.  And now, without the force of someone else at the Thanksgiving table (because there is no Thanksgiving table in Italy), I've made a different kind of list.  It goes like this:


I should have been more thankful for....
...my name.  I don't mind being called L'Americana, but I miss being called Tenley.
...voicemail.  I don't know one Italian that uses voicemail.  I don't even know how to set it up.
...free refills.  Ahhhhh......
...fluffy towels.  They don't get fluffy without a dryer.
...parties where you stand up (all night).  I asked a few people here what they thought about the idea of coming to a party like the ones they see in American movies.  They said they wouldn't come.
...rugs and carpeting.
...salted butter.  American recipes use salted butter.  Will I ever learn how much to add? 
...ice cubes.  Most of my friends order water or Coke in a bar at room temperature.  If I ask for ice, they give me two cubes which usually have that "old ice cube" taste.
...eating a salad at the beginning of a meal instead of at the end.
...sending and receiving cards in the mail.  Nonexistent.
...warm houses.
...warm theaters.
...warm churches (for classical music concerts, not mass).
...warm coffee shops.
...warm pizzerias.
...warm buses.
...warm stores.
...Starbucks, where you can ask for a hot chocolate at 180 degrees and they write it on the cup (sometimes even with your name).
...a mother-in-law that has friends she doesn't even know.
...sandy floors.
...people that know who Marcia Marcia Marcia Brady is.
...normal sized spooons. 
...old friends that knew a lot about me and liked me anyway.
...skim milk at coffee shops.
...an aisle at the grocery store dedicated to salad dressing.
...refugees (that need to learn English to survive in their new country instead of Italians that need to learn English to get out of theirs).
...Walgreen's.
...my niece and nephew. 
...Lake Michigan and it's many moods.
...Double Stuff Oreos.  Italy has Oreos, but they're not Double Stuff and they're packaged in one sleeve in a box instead of three rows in a cellophane bag that rips and forces you to eat just a few more.
...a thermostat.
...bike lanes (even if they're filled with double parkers).
...bookstores with a few shelves of books in foreign languages instead of a few shelves of books in English.
...Lake Shore Drive in my convertible.
...houses without gates (see blog Lions and Tigers and Bears)
...cake with frosting.
...real Christmas trees with collections of personal ornaments.
...post offices without a 30-minute wait at 10a.m. on a Tuesday in July.
...running mates (for the rare times that I don't want to run alone).
...sour cream, not Greek yogurt.
...fast food.
...fast internet.
...shoveling snow.
...my best friend.
...marshmallows that actually toast and get a golden brown coat that you can touch and pop in your mouth in one bite instead of a dark brown, burned, sugary coat that burns and sticks to the tips of your fingers when you touch it.
...stores that are open between 12:30p.m. and 3:30p.m.
...elegant dinner parties.
...cans of Diet Coke (Coca Cola Light) in a restuarant that haven't expired because I'm the only one who ever orders it (see blog You've Gotta Try Sometimes).
...one dollar bills.
...Libby's Pumpkin Pie Filling.
...and I guess here's where I have to add friends, family and health which seems like the best thing to be thankful for after all.


Did I forget to mention Cool Whip?