November seems to be the month of lists.
The grocery list gets longer. The Thanksgiving menu gets debated. Christmas shopping starts creeping onto the calendar. And somewhere there’s probably a list of things we promised ourselves we’d get done before another year disappeared.
But our cover profile with Jennifer Eifert introduced me to a different kind of list.
When Jennifer was young, her mother encouraged her to make a list of everything she wanted to do in life—and then go do it. Years later, her mother said her only regret was that her own list had been too short.
Jennifer apparently took that advice seriously.
Her story is one of unexpected turns, new challenges, travel, creativity and discovering that a successful life doesn’t necessarily have to follow one straight path. I won’t spoil it here, but if you’ve ever wondered whether it’s too late to try something completely different, spend a little time with Jennifer’s story.
That idea—making room for more life—shows up throughout this issue.
The Art of Grandparenting on Your Own Terms looks at one of life’s greatest gifts while asking an important question: how do we pour ourselves into our grandchildren without giving up the other parts of life that still matter to us?
Our Thanksgiving feature, There’s Room at the Table for You, speaks especially to the person who always hosts, cooks, organizes and makes sure everyone else is comfortable. Sometimes the person creating the holiday needs to remember to enjoy it, too.
Jeff Barganier heads back into the North Georgia mountains and discovers another place that may end up on your travel list. And Greg Budell offers his own Attitude of Gratitude, looking at some of the everyday blessings and abundance we can become so accustomed to that we barely notice them.
Maybe that’s what November is really good for. Looking around at what we already have and being grateful.
So count your blessings this Thanksgiving.
Just don’t make the list too short.