Thanksgiving. Family and friends all over the country will be sharing meals and smiles as they evaluate everything they are blessed with.

It’s the time of year where the half-empty cup perspective flips into half-full.

In my life, I have celebrated 15 Thanksgivings. Plus even more with my parents being divorced since I was one year old.

Every year I say that I’m thankful for my family and friends, the roof over my head, the food on my plate and the bear hugs of my uncles and aunts, grandmas and grandpas.

You know, the concrete ideas most people are thankful for as well.

But this year, I took the time to really sit down and evaluate what I’m truly thankful for beyond the clichés, beyond the half-full perspective.

The little things.

I’m thankful for…

The morning car rides to school with my friends Emily and Hanna Grossnicklaus. We play Hoodie Allen’s “18 cool” while singing, ”Just to stay ahead of you, and prove that we the best right? Life is just a highway, but homie there’s no test drive.” We dance in our seats and try to ignore the fact that we are on our way to another dreadful day of tests and worksheets.

Online shopping. I can lay in bed while ordering a whole new wardrobe. Plus it saves me from fighting in the middle of the Chesterfield Mall with my mom about what is appropriate to wear or the right price while people stare at us.

The cooking videos on facebook. It is so fascinating to see how the final dish turns out with just simple easy steps. It makes me consider culinary school.

Receiving a fortune cookie saying “Stop searching forever, happiness is next to you” from Panda express. It always is exactly what I needed to hear. It’s life turning and motivating.

Holiday decorations. They make malls seem equivalent to the North Pole. They fill streets with illuminated houses and blow up Santas.

Starbucks’ holiday red cup, it wouldn’t feel much like the holidays without them.

Will Ferrell. He is the magic in so many movies. Mark Wahlberg as Buddy the elf? I don’t think so.

When there is one sweater left in my favorite store Free People and it’s in my size. I walk out of the store, carrying the shopping bag thinking to myself “How lucky am I?”

“America’s funniest home videos.,”specifically the cat, dog or baby clips. Those really get me, especially when they put all three of them together.

These moments are what seems like the smallest pieces of my life but are key reasons why every day is worth getting out of bed and being productive.

There will be times when I see my cup half empty, like when I’m fighting with my little sister about who has to take the puppy out to go bathroom and I’m always the one to do it. (Not really, but I like to think that.)

There will be times when I see my cup half full, like when I’m taking annual family photos, thinking of how lucky I am to have an adventurous, goofy family to take pictures with.

But when it comes down to it, I’m thankful I even have a cup.

Share your cup-full moments on social media with us: #ehshub.