PU students wrote what they’re thankful for, and it’s making me emotional

Thanksgiving is arguably one of the most heartwarming and emotional holidays of the year. It’s the day when we can put aside all our differences and focus on what we are most grateful for in our lives. It’s the day when, if nothing else works, only Adele’s new song can save crumbling relations.

In order to stir the Thanksgiving spirit, we made a poster board asking Wilson College what they were most thankful for.

The original poster. Phoebe from ‘Friends’ is thankful for it too.

I wasn’t really expecting much. I thought that the Sharpies would get stolen and that the boards would remain as empty as ever.

I decided to check on the poster every few hours, walking past it nonchalantly as if I had nothing at all to do with it. And it was one of those times when I was so glad to be wrong.

I would see some of the most amazing things written down. You guys were thankful for your friends, family, and the Princeton community. You guys mentioned people by name, probably making them feel all warm and fuzzy inside. And you were also thankful for the little things in life like two-ply toilet paper, biryani, and Bubble Tea.

After only a few hours, Princeton really embraced the spirit

I knew that this was the start of something amazing. Any doubts that I had were completely erased from my mind. You all embraced the Thanksgiving spirit, and suddenly, I too found myself thinking over all of the things that I was thankful for.

As the weekend passed, I decided to check on the poster again. AND IT WAS COMPLETELY FULL!

I was incredibly happy. I was standing in front of the poster, tearing up like a proud mama watching her child graduate from college and readily enter into the real world.

I found myself reading everything you all wrote, and being thankful for the same things. I, too, am so happy to see Oxene everyday at lunch, greeting me with a friendly smile and always asking me how I’m doing.

McGraw has saved me multiple times from the inevitable confusion in my classes, and yes, I also love my Keurig!

And to extend the proud mama analogy, I felt like I suddenly had an empty nest. So I decided to make a new poster board last minute to see what else Princeton was thankful for!

Let’s just say, over the next day and a half, I can say for certain that you guys did not cease to amaze me.

The posters are still in Wilcox if you want to take a look at them, or just jot down a little something you are thankful for (even if it is after Thanksgiving).

Thank you, Princeton, for reminding me and everyone else that we should be grateful for everything that we have. I’m grateful for you too .