Haha there's way too many things I could put for this. (Also, I finally wrote it down on my planner again because I'm back at school, and yet I still put it off knowing full well I was suppose to do it. No matter.) What is home, anyway? Where I live right now? Where I was born? My so-called "permanent address"?
Because I feel somewhat guilt tripped into this and because it deserves some kind of recognition, this gratitude challenge entry will be dedicated to Oregon.
I admit I cringe a little calling Oregon "home" for this blog entry as if it were my only home, because I feel somewhat far removed from it and very happy to be in Massachusetts. Like, for the first time in my life I've ended up in a city of my choosing, one where I feel right in. While the east coast has become the place in the USA I feel most at home in, I can't deny the fact that I lived in Oregon for 6 years nor the fact that it's where my parents have made a living for themselves after leaving the Philippines all those years ago.
I realize now that for that "something I take for granted" entry, I could have written about Oregon. Because it's true, I do take it for granted, to the point where I deliberately try to not go back to Oregon when I have the opportunity to go somewhere else. Which isn't fair to my parents, I suppose, especially considering the life they made for themselves after leaving their successful lives in our homeland. But even though I don't plan on living long term in Oregon ever again, I suppose I'm still thankful for the time that I did spend there, the first state in this country I became acquainted it. It's not the most well-known and well-visited state, but it has a high quality of life and some distinct things about it that its residents are all proud of. At some point in my life, I also felt this same pride, and even now have a little fondness for this song even if I can't 100% relate to it.
Perhaps overall life in Oregon isn't what I feel the most thankful for. The little things about it are what I feel the most nostalgic towards, and the things I would like to express gratitude for in this post. I always say that I miss Dutch Bros. Coffee when I'm away from Oregon, and I do. There's also Mashita's, the mom and pop teriyaki restaurant that my family was a regular at ever since we first arrived in the state. Ava's Roasteria, which had an inimitable iced chocolate, and was a great place to sit and get some work done. The Portland Airport, my favorite place in Oregon, consistently ranked America's Best Airport, and how satisfying it would feel to return there and see its carpet after a cool trip somewhere else.
To name a few.
Though I miss these things and it would bring me great pleasure to experience them again, I don't miss Oregon enough to want to go back as soon as possible. But it's nice knowing that it's there, and that these things that made Oregon feel like home for those six years will still be there in some form whenever I should choose to return. And for that, I'm thankful.
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