Saying this semester has been hard would be an understatement. “Unprecedented” seems to be the word of the year and for a graduate student in academia, this word holds layers of meaning affecting everything from work, school, to my personal life. 


As last week was Thanksgiving I began thinking even more heavily about all that I have to be thankful for this year. 2020 has been rife with blessings in disguise, heartbreaks and losses that led me to where I am today: happy. I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge these people and moments that made me a better person this year, and that, on my hardest days, helped me get through it all. So, in honor of them, here is a list of the little everyday miracles that helped me survive the first eleven months of 2020. 


1. Friends- Far away or in the same house. Through calls, messages, or memes. 
2. Family- I don’t see you enough. I could never see you enough, but I hope you know I will be calling you multiple times a week until I’m old and gray.
3. My dad, who slips me a twenty dollar bill every time he leaves.
4. My mom, who stops 100 times with me at McDonalds to get drinks.
5. My brother and sister-in-law who post goofy photos of themselves, their cats, and my nieces online.
6. My sister, who tags me in all the online posts she can find with squirrels (your favorite friendly campus creature) in them.
7. My dad, who sends me pictures of high school and college football stadiums from the booth where he works as a radio broadcaster.
8. My mom and dad, who group text with me from three different cities about three different football games as they take place.
9. My mom, who answers the phone at 7 am or 11 pm to coach me through whatever tiny inconvenience I frame as a life crisis when I call.
10. My dad, who randomly sends me packages to make me smile.
11. My office boss, who gets everyone gift bags to say thank you for working there.
12. My coworker, who lets me trick-or-treat into her bowl of chocolate anytime I want. 
13. My work, that calls extra time at the end of meetings “time confetti.”
14. My coworker, that messages me after a meeting to tell me she is proud of how well it went.
15. My boss, who writes me thank you letters and encourages me in every last task that I do. 
16. The boss of my boss, who teaches me how to use our office espresso machine. 
17. My research advisor, who always puts people before products.
18. My organizational coworkers, who come to me with ideas before I can think of them myself.
19. My collective members, who engage me in meaningful conversations where my input as a graduate student is truly valued. 
20. My roommate, who leaves me a note on a sandwich wrapper to have a good day when I need it most.
21. My other roommate, who takes me with her on every shopping adventure with the radio up.
22. My cat, who gets me out of bed on the mornings where I feel no motivation.
23. My suite guests, who buy me pillows because I said I like the one they had and genuinely listen as I tell them about my studies.
24. My students I get to meet for a day, who remember my name, show me the way to the lunchroom, and talk to me for an hour about their dreams.
25. My God, who showed up in every rejected application, broken relationship, and unexpected turn that led me to where I am today.


Thank you.

-- Delaney Couri is a masters student in the Department of Teaching, Learning, and Culture.