Spoiler alert: it’s not finals season
By THE EDITORIAL BOARD
We’ve all heard the benefits of gratitude extolled: better sleep, less anxiety, lower levels of depression and so on. During the Thanksgiving season, gratitude is especially placed in the limelight. As an Editorial Board, we want to acknowledge that this holiday has a complex history that isn’t all worth celebrating, originating during a time of violence against Native American people. That said, we think it’s possible to acknowledge the history of the holiday while still valuing this time with family and friends and using it as an opportunity to reflect on the good things in our lives. And as college students, we could certainly use as much improved sleep and lessened anxiety and depression as we can get. So, here’s what the members of the Editorial Board are grateful for this year. Happy Thanksgiving!
We should take a moment to acknowledge the land on which we are gathered. For thousands of years, this land has been the home of Patwin people. Today, there are three federally recognized Patwin tribes: Cachil DeHe Band of Wintun Indians of the Colusa Indian Community, Kletsel Dehe Wintun Nation, and Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation.
The Patwin people have remained committed to the stewardship of this land over many centuries. It has been cherished and protected, as elders have instructed the young through generations. We are honored and grateful to be here today on their traditional lands.
Sonora Slater, Editor-in-Chief
From the running list in my notes app — I’m grateful for the girl at the CoHo last week who told me she liked my earrings, and then gave me two strawberry crumble bars instead of just the one I ordered. I’m grateful for the freshman who DMed The Aggie to tell us that our new issues are the highlight of her Thursdays and for the woman in my welding class who brought us all pineapple guavas from her garden on the last day of class. I’m grateful for Sunday pick-up soccer games, and for the girl I ran into at the MU last month who told me that although we’ve never met, we’ve followed each other on Instagram since freshman year, and she’s been rooting for me as she’s watched the trajectory of my journalism career. And more than anything, always, I am grateful for the friends, roommates and coworkers that I was somehow lucky enough to find, who are the reason that, for at least one more year, Davis feels so much like home.
Clara Fischer, Managing Editor
As we near the end of another quarter spent in Davis, I’m feeling grateful not only that — let’s be real — it’s almost over, but also that I have plenty of good memories to outweigh the stress that these 10 weeks brought. I have spent more time than I care to admit in meetings this quarter, but I feel extremely thankful for the company of my coworkers during that time and loved ones outside of it. Not only have I formed new connections, like those with the members of this year’s Editorial Board, but I have rediscovered my unwavering gratitude for the connections that I already have in my life. To my friends, new and old: thank you for providing me with so much genuine joy and support.
Lily Freeman, Campus News Editor
Now that I am almost finished with my last fall quarter here at UC Davis, I am more thankful than ever for the love and support that surrounds me from all corners. To my roommates and boyfriend, who know me better than I know myself and possess a high level of coolness that I aspire to live up to, I am forever grateful to call you my best friends (and to have total access to your closets). To my family, who I have mastered the art of long distance communication with, thank you for keeping my head up via FaceTime call for the last three years. To my campus news writers, thank you for making my job easy. To the Editorial Board, thank you for making me better at my job. I can’t believe I get paid to work alongside a talented group of writers who also never fail to make me laugh. I should also give an honorable thanks to box hair dye, Mishkas and my band for specifically getting me through rough times this quarter.
Chris Ponce, City News Editor
I’m truly lucky for all there is to be grateful for in my life. This year I wanted to talk about how thankful I am for where I come from. In Davis, sometimes it feels like everyone you meet is from the Bay Area or some town in Northern California I’m not familiar with. With home being hundreds of miles away, it’s this time of the quarter when I remember how much I miss my family and home. I wouldn’t be here, writing this editorial at this university, without the people who made me who I am. The phrase “remember where you came from” might be slightly overused, but it’s something I remind myself of every day. I grew up in a small desert town, and when I was a kid I used to talk about how excited I was to get out of there. However, with age comes appreciation and nostalgia — I couldn’t be more grateful for the place I got to grow up at. I think about how lucky I am that I got to grow up in a town so different from others. To the giant Joshua Trees growing like weeds, sunsets that are fiery red and my favorite panadería downtown, I am so grateful for you.
Annabel Marshall, Opinion Editor
In my senior year, I feel even more grateful for each moment knowing there’s many things I’m experiencing for the last time. There’s so much to be thankful for: my super cool housemates, dinner parties, concerts, postcards, love letters, interesting classes, the sweater I got for four dollars at Goodwill, new music, old movies, phone calls from my little brother, good weather, laughter, In-N-Out burgers, my dog and plenty more. And, of course, I am deeply appreciative of my wonderful writers on the Opinion Desk (whoop!) and my mostly okay coworkers on Ed Board. I can only hope that next year my life will be as enjoyable and meaningful to me as it is now.
Yasmeen O’Brien, Features Editor
There are so many things I am grateful for, especially this year. I have been overcome with nostalgia as I enter my last year at UC Davis, and am so thankful for our little town that has made my time in college more special and meaningful than I ever dreamed of. I’m thankful for my lovely roommates who make me laugh endlessly and who have loved and supported me through it all. I feel so lucky to call you my best friends. Thank you for your wisdom and presence in my life. I am thankful for my family, and especially my parents who have always encouraged us to be our creative, justice-seeking, silly, authentic selves. I am thankful for my education and for freedom. I am incredibly grateful for my wonderful coworkers and writers who have made me excited to come into work every day. Thank you for all your hard work. It takes blood, sweat and tears to run a newspaper, and these people do it with profound grace! Lastly, I’m thankful for everything that has made me grow, especially the things I have learned the hard way. And of course for music, dancing, writing and all the love in my life.
Ana Bach, Arts & Culture Editor
This fall quarter flew by fast, but it’s times like these that help me pause and reflect on the little things in my everyday life that make me appreciate where I am in the world. College life feels like the calm before the storm, a period of transition into the real world without the same consequences you would normally face. Sporadic late-night snack runs with my housemates and jumping on the trampoline are things that get me through the day that might not be waiting for me in the scary adult world. Our daily Editorial Board meetings, the live music in Central Park, game nights, dance parties and all the ways that our little town of Davis finds community truly make me stop dead in my tracks. I cannot begin to express how lucky I am to have such a safe space, where the environment as well as the people have supported me in all my endeavors. As a period of rest and relaxation is well-deserved, it’s a bittersweet feeling to part from all the things that make Davis so special. I can safely say that all those things will still be here when I come back and that is what I am truly grateful for.
Megan Joseph, Sports Editor
As this year is coming to an end faster than any of us have expected and the stress of holidays and finals is starting to materialize, the moments when I can go home and have a delicious home cooked meal that get me through. Thanksgiving is one of the few excuses I have to be sappy toward my friends and family and reminisce on all of the fun moments I have had throughout the year. Although it has been a whirlwind, it has brought me so much to be thankful for with all the funny, wonderful and chaotic moments. I’m grateful for all of the late-night drives to Dutch Bros with my eight housemates (yes, all eight) where we sing a mix of pop, rap and country at the top of our lungs. I’m grateful for all of the laughs on the couch with my family where we tell each other the most random stories from our time apart. I’m grateful for all of the random shopping trips with my friends where someone always ends up getting lost (usually it’s me). I’m grateful for the random yoga retreats that my mom keeps talking me into so that I can “clear my chakras.” All I can say is that I love doing life with all of my people and I cannot wait for the future memories that we will make, no matter how far away we may be.
Katie Hellman, Science & Tech Editor
With finals looming around the corner and the sun clocking out at 5 p.m., it can be easy to focus on the negativity in the world; take a step back and remind yourself of the things that bring you joy. There are plenty of small things I’m grateful for — the glow stars plastered on my ceiling haven’t lost their sticking abilities yet, Trader Joe’s always has peanut butter cups in stock, sometimes I can find my entire study guide on Quizlet — that I often take for granted. I’m also grateful for the most obvious, but perhaps the most important things in my life: people! The love and support I share with my friends and family and even the small interactions I have with classmates and kind strangers are what make life worth living. I can’t wait for the many items I’ll be able to add to my list in the future — new friendships, new experiences, and hopefully some new writers on the science desk (!!!).
Written by: The Editorial Board
