Happy Thanksgiving!
Today is a day here in the States that we give thanks for what we have and the people in our lives. A time we gather around our table eating gravy-smothered turkey, stuffing, beats, and pumpkin pie. A time we gather around the television, screaming and cheering at the football game. A time we talk with those not seen often, catching up on lost time. A time we remember those who are special in ours lives, especially those no longer with us. No matter how Thanksgiving is spent, it is always with family and loved ones.
We all have something to be thankful for in our lives. For me, this blog has become something extra special to me, way more than I ever imagined when I first started in the summer of 2013. Now, I don’t know about you, but I am a horrible (great?) procrastinator. At any given moment, I will do anything and everything to distract myself from what I need to do. This blog has helped me get better at not doing that. Feeling responsible to give you, my readers and friends, some content pushes me to actually get stuff done. If I don’t deliver what I promise, I begin to feel guilty, like I let you guys down, and I don’t like letting my friends down. This has conditioned me to sit down (or stand up if need be) and just do what I have to, although it helps that this is something I like to do and is sometimes part of my procrastination process. I am thankful that this blog pushes me to do better in other parts of my life.
Starting out, I never considered myself much of a writer. Even to this day, over three years later, I still don’t. I’m just a person who puts his thoughts and feelings into words. Nothing special and certainly not enough to consider myself a writer. However, I have noticed an improvement in my written communication since starting out. Besides the experience of me writing, seeing so many different styles of writing across the blogosphere, I am always learning from them and trying to improve my writing so I feel like I can fit in with the rest of you who actually know how to write. I am thankful that by writing for this blog, I have been able to improve my writing skills.
Working with clients time zones away, I know how efficient the the internet is to communicate with others all over the globe. Yet, I never expected to talk with people literally all over the world. I have spoken with people from Canada, the UK, South Africa, Israel, and even Indonesia. I was even able to meet up with one of my fellow bloggers earlier this year. Although I might not know all your names or seen your faces, I consider you friends. I am truly thankful for the bonds I have created with many of you that grew from becoming a blogger. I am sure they will last for many more years to come.
Seeing as this is a day we all give thanks, I extended an invitation for those who wanted to join in and asked them a simple question: Why are you thankful for your blog and for being and blogger? Here is what they had to say:
Ashley (Box Office Buzz)
I initially chose to start a blog on WordPress because I liked the blog designs available and the ease of working with the templates. However, what has kept me on WordPress is the wonderful community of bloggers. I’m thankful to have a place where I can geek out about my favorite movies and TV shows. I don’t get made fun of for sharing my passions, and even if people disagree, they do it in a respectful manner. Although I’ll probably never get to meet many of my blog buddies face to face, I’m thankful we can all connect through blogging! 🙂
Catherine (Thoughts All Sorts)
Thoughts All Sorts began blogging purely as a written outlet for whatever came to mind (hence the name). For nobody really. Well, for me to just write in a “public” forum meaning I needed to make an effort. This was rapidly to change. Fate had other plans and somehow I came across one of those addictive things called a Blogathon. I finally plucked up the courage to participate and wow…it was like opening Pandora’s Box. Just that one post changed everything and I am so thankful for that! The world, no, the Blogs, I discovered are the best thing out there. I would definitely not be blogging anymore if I didn’t have the support of the wonderful people behind these Blogs. So, I’m thankful for the readers and the writers out there and especially the time they invest in the community. They range from the social bloggers and the serious ones, but most importantly they range across all corners of the globe, across all genders, age groups, beliefs, races, the works…and THAT makes it so awesome…the things I’ve become exposed to, the opinions, recommendations and just general comments…they always, ALWAYS make my day! Oh…and I’m thankful that I’m bound to add a new movie or book to my “To Watch/Read” list…daily.
Keith (Keith Loves Movies)
I am thankful for my blog and being a blogger because I get to share my love of movies (and now television) with the rest of the world. I’ve always liked movies and I often went to the theater. My friends knew this and they would often go to me with questions or asked me for recommendations. One day, a friend suggested that I should write about movies and that was when my blog was born. When I started almost a year and a half ago, I had no idea what was going to happen or how big it would become but I’m glad I did it. I’ve seen over 160 movies this year and it is has been fun to write about them so far. I hope to do a lot more in the future as my blog grows.
Allie (Flick Chicks)
Movies have always been a big part of my life. I was brought up on Disney, which I still hold close to my heart. As I got older, I went through some rough times and movies were my escape. Any movie I’ve watched more than a handful of times, I have memories attached to, both good and bad. I also love to talk about them, but before I started blogging most conversations would go something like:
Me: Oh hey, I watched a brilliant movie over the weekend called ‘—————-’, have you seen it?
Other Person: Nah, it looks rubbish/Yeah it was okay/Why are you watching that when you should be watching ‘—————’ instead?
Eventually, I kept myself to myself. When I met Jenna, my blogging buddy at work, I found we shared a common interest, movies! Not only movies, but talking about movies! My life was changed forever. We shared DVDs, had movie nights together, wrote emails back and forth with little reviews, and my love for all things cinematic was rekindled.
It was only a matter of time before we started a blog called Flick Chicks together. To begin with, we were talking to ourselves, but eventually we found our way into the movie blogosphere by taking part in a blogathon, and got chatting to other bloggers. From there, our little network grew and grew, and every day I get excited to check if there are any new comments on the blog. I’m so thankful for everyone who stops by and takes the time to comment on something I’ve written.
Writing has always been therapeutic for me, and although I haven’t studied film, or even writing or journalism, I love the fact that I can put my thoughts down into words, share it online, and have other bloggers interact with me. We aren’t a snobby scene in the slightest, and I’m thankful for the fact I can be truthful and honest about how I feel about a movie, without being belittled for it. Whether I loved a movie that bombed at the box office, or hated a classic, I can share my thoughts without fear and a lot of times, be surprised that there are others out there who feel the same.
I’m thankful for everything that blogging has brought me. I talk about a lot of you fellow bloggers all the time, and consider you to be my friends. I’m thankful for the comments, and the Twitter mentions, that cheer me up when I’m feeling blue. And I’m thankful to you all for widening my movie horizons. For recommending hidden indie gems that I’d never heard of, and for convincing me to see classics that I thought would be dull. Thank you!
Robin (Write Out of LA)
Sometimes you have to brush aside the making a living aspect of writing a blog. You also have to roll with the punches when it comes to the hard work that goes into the upkeep of a website. You have to take it in your stride when time eludes you, that blogging can essentially suck hours from you daily. You can bitch and moan about these things, out loud, or internally within your many thoughts. How do I make money with my site? When will I be rewarded for my hard work? Why are there not more hours in the day? Of course if you just drop it all and quit – problem solved.
Yeah, I thought so. Many a time do I remind myself of the pride, the passion, the privilege, that comes with writing about what you love. I am thankful for that. Pouring your thoughts onto the page, like right now, so you can share your notions. I am thankful for that. The community of film-lovers with whom I can mingle, from all walks of life: America. Hong Kong. Germany. Greece. Canada. Brazil. France. New Zealand. I am thankful for them. Every single one of them. Their contributions to my site, be it by providing physical, publishable words, or mere page clicks while sipping their coffee. I am grateful for those.
Maybe, just maybe, one day I can quit my day job, and make this my priority, make it my living, work harder, faster, and with more zest than ever. That’s the dream. And I am thankful for that.
SG (Rhyme and Reason)
I’ve so much to look up and be thankful for,
The least of which is my own blog,
A hobby, an outlet, a dare to explore
And add my unique dialogue.
I’m thankful for movies I’d never have seen
Without recommendations and tips
From fellow film bloggers, who never are mean
Like some online relationships.
Beyond all the personal gratification
Of writing what I love and know
And seeing that someone in some distant nation
Is liking what I have to show,
A blog is a door to acquaintances, friends,
And fans of what I enjoy too.
To Drew, Rob, and far as the blogosphere sends,
A Happy Thanksgiving to you!
Rob (Movierob)
As a fan of film, I watch as many films as I can (both new and old). As much as I love movies though, I enjoy having meaningful discussions with others about movies. Since starting my blog 3.5 years ago, I have been so thankful and grateful for the lovely film blogging community who are always there when needed. I have discussed, debated, derided and of course been delighted by so many conversations with my fellow bloggers and that makes this even more fun!
Kim (Tranquil Dreams)
Starting up a blog is probably one of the best decisions that I’ve made. A blog is a space to share crazy, stupid and sometimes random (or boring) thoughts. It’s a place to stay positive. In fact, it makes me thankful for many things. The first is the chance to meet a lot of like-minded people who share a lot of similar interests and at times even opens up a ton of other avenues to look into. Second, I’m thankful because it gives the motivation to improve, update, upgrade. It’s a place to learn. Everyday with a blog is a learning experience whether it’s just learning about a new movie or book, or a different opinion and view on whatever topic, learning how to write better and structure posts better, or even technically learning how to put together pictures, edit videos and produce a podcast. This leads onto the third reason why I’m thankful. I’m thankful because the blogosphere (that I’ve encountered) is a place of acceptance. Sure, there are people who might strongly disagree but I’ve never met anyone so extreme. Everyone here is accepting and growing as an individual. It’s great to be among such a motivated crowd and realize that sometimes all those crazy hobbies you have are also someone else’s. In a world when its kind of messy and real life sometimes dishes us a ton of losses, its nice to find some friends and acquaintances, even if they are only through email and comments that always shines a light into our world and hope that we can do the same for them. Being a blogger is something I’m thankful for every single day because everyone I’ve met and all the posts I’ve read has made me a better person: more courageous and motivated and even more passionate and energized to do better every single day.
Huge thank you to everyone who joined in. I am grateful that all of you took the time to respond and share something personal. Thank you.
I will propose the same question to the rest of you and you can answer in the comments: Why are you thankful for your blog and for being and blogger?
Until next time, cheers!
A huge ‘Thank you’ to 
Wow, another award! I don’t think I deserve all these, but hey, I’m not going to argue. This award comes from Khalid over at 
Drew's Movie Reviews 