Giving Thanks!

If I had to choose a favorite Holiday, it would definitely be Thanksgiving! This holiday is shrouded in a great deal of historical controversy and I will not delve into any of that. But I appreciate the simplicity and beauty that comes from two of my favorite things: food, family, and giving thanks (OK, that is three things).

Tradition is big part of Thanksgiving. For most, it's all about turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. In my family, we have our own traditions and they do not include any of the above. We had baked chicken instead of turkey and a fruit tart instead of pumpkin pie. We decided on the fruit tart to celebrate my Dad's Birthday, which happens to also fall on Thanksgiving.

Bottom line: I love Thanksgiving. I love food. I love family. And there is a lot to be thankful for.

I am thankful for my amazing family: my parents, siblings, and extended family (and my cat- Chitty, pronounced Chit-tee). These are individuals, who have made so many sacrifices for me. Their unconditional love, support, and concern is always with me. They make my life complete. I cannot begin to thank them for everything they do (and have done) for me.

I am thankful for my friends. My friends bring joy to my life, making me happy, spending time with, and being there for me. I hope to cultivate these life-long friendships.

I am thankful for my health, one of the biggest blessings of all. Every day I wake up, excited for another day. I am thankful for food, water, and shelter--basic amenities that are so essential that are sadly denied to individuals in the third world and in nations ravaged by war and instability.

I am thankful for being able to live my dream: medicine. As a medical student, every day is about learning about how to effectively serve my future patients and their families. It such an honor to learn the language of medicine and the stories of my patients, while standing alongside my amazing classmates. I am excited for the next steps and challenges that await me on my ongoing journey in medicine, as I continue navigating the complex mechanisms of human disease, fragility of human life, and as I understand what speciality I should pursue.

I am thankful for being a student at UCSF and for the endless opportunities to explore, learn, and serve.

I am thankful for San Francisco, the city with a soul. There is so much that I love about the city: the people, the diversity, the beauty, the individuality, the distinctive culture, the food. Experiencing the city is so wonderful and refreshing.

I am thankful for my SLR Digital Cannon Rebel camera (it allows me to see the beauty in world through a lens and produce timeless images). I am thankful for my running shoes, my bike, the gym, Golden Gate Park.

I am thankful for you (reader)- for entering my inner world. It makes writing worth every word, when I know there is someone out there, who reads and is interested in learning about my life. Having an audience brings meaning to my writing. And for that I am grateful.

There is so much more to be thankful for; I could go on and on. But I'll stop here.

Happy Thanksgiving!

***Image: Dad's B-day Fruit-Tart (our pumpkin pie equivalent)