I've seen a lot of people posting about how awful 2016 has been, & how glad they are to be rid of it tonight. I agree completely that 2016 was a total shit year for politics & the poster year for awesome celebrities who left us too soon. A lot of us have experienced heartache over seeing our friends, family, or even ourselves experience harassment for just being who we are, as many people with hate in their hearts become braver & more outspoken about proclaiming their hate. This year started with so much hope, & to a lot of us, feels like it's ending with the country (or world) heading into certain disaster. I, personally, dread what the coming four years in our country will look like politically, but I am looking forward to seeing so many people fight to keep the country a place of equality & hope. I also can't wait to join them.
However, other than all that, 2016 has been very generous to me. Far better than I anticipated when it started. I'd like to take an opportunity to list a few things I'm thankful for in 2016, in no particular order.
• This is pretty obvious: Jared. I never dreamed someone could be so good to me. He treats me like an equal, & respects my autonomy. I spent most of the year falling in love with someone who is smart, kind, creative supportive, mega talented, & handsome AF, amongst many other admirable qualities. And the later part of the year falling in love with his sweet, adorable family. Jared is genuinely a wonderful person, & makes me thankful every day to have him in my life in any capacity, but extra thankful that he is my person. I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for us.
• Filmmaking. This year, not only did I get to work with a kick-ass writing team, wildly talented cast, & incredibly hardworking crew to make the second season of Bug Spoon; I also got to travel to a place I'd never been because the first season made it into a festival. Not only that, we won an award for it! As hard as we worked on season one, I truly believe the cast & crew deserve it, & am so excited about season two. Background People also has a short film being shot next month, & I'm stoked for another opportunity to work alongside people I both admire & adore.
• Theatre. Birmingham theatre is where I found the majority of my adopted family. I am so thankful for the good friendships I have made in that community, & for the opportunities I've been given within it. I was handed two opportunities to direct this year, & was even fortunate enough to be in another show alongside so many people I adore. And on top of all that, I am now on the board of the theatre I consider to be a second home.
• Work. So very thankful to work in a place with people with whom I get along, & to have a boss who is so kind & understanding. Also, in this day & age, anyone with employment should consider themselves lucky, & I lucked out landing this job.
• My car. I did a big kid this year & bought a car. It needs a lot of love & is about a decade old, but I'm thrilled to have it, nonetheless. I'm thankful for the opportunity provided to me, & that I was able to take it.
• My furry babies. We added a new baby to the family this year, & he is a perfect fit. He loves Lola so much, & tolerates me because I also belong to Lola. In all seriousness, he is a sweet little love bug who has a beautiful meow, & Lola & I are thankful for him all the time.
I'm sure there are so many things I'm missing. There was so much this year that I had to be thankful for. Here's to 2017, hoping we can stay out of nuclear war long enough to make it to another New Years celebration!
