Small Gratitudes

The smallest things we are grateful for this year

Here at Pantsuit Politics, we wanted to approach our gratitude a little differently this year. We reached out to a bunch of people in our community and asked them to do that with us. What you’ll hear today are members of our team, listeners like you, some friends of the show, and many of the guests we had on throughout this year sharing the absolute smallest things they are thankful for. What we got is a beautiful mix of poignant, funny, heartfelt, and honest answers.

If you’ve never watched us on video, this episode is a great one to do so. It’s so fun to see everyone’s faces and spaces as they share what they are grateful for. Plus, Studio D was kind enough to work with me to put everyone’s names on the video as well, in case you don’t recognize them on voices alone.

We’d love to know the smallest thing you are grateful for as well. We’ve made the comments open to everyone for this episode, so make sure to share your small gratitude below.

Our team is, today and always, grateful for each and every one of you who make our work possible.

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Episode Transcript

Alise Napp [00:00:08] This is Alise Napp. You’re listening to Pantsuit Politics. Sarah, Beth, and our whole team are out today celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday. We hope that wherever you are, whomever you’re with, you are finding some peace and hope and joy as we enter this next part of the holiday season. Here at Pantsuit Politics, we wanted to approach our gratitude a little differently this year. We reached out to a bunch of people in our community and asked them to do that with us. What you’ll hear today are members of our team, listeners like you, some friends of the show, and many of the guests we had on throughout this year sharing the smallest things they are thankful for. We told them no cheating and saying things like family and democracy. We all know we’re very thankful for those things. What we wanted were the tiniest, most insignificant little things that they could think of. What we got is a beautiful mix of poignant, funny, heartfelt, and honest answers. You are going to love this. One note. As we have integrated video into the podcast this year, somewhat begrudgingly, we have done our best to keep the listening experience the same for those of you who, like me, prefer the audio experience. That is our first and foremost format.

However, if you’ve wondered about checking us out on video and have not done it yet, today’s episode is a wonderful one to do it because it’s really fun to see everyone’s faces and spaces as they share what they are grateful for. Plus, Studio D, our wonderful editing team, was kind enough to work with me to put everyone’s names and their relation to the show on the video as well, just in case you don’t recognize them by voices alone. If you’re interested in watching the video version of the show, you can always find us on YouTube or you can find the video on our website, pantsuitpoliticsshow.com. That’s the same place you’ll always find show notes, any links we have to share, all the other work that we make beyond the main podcast we’re listening to. Thank you so much for being here today. We are grateful for you, and we hope that you enjoy all of the small gratitudes that we and our community have to share with you today.

Sarah Stewart Holland [00:02:24] Representative McBride, what is the smallest thing you’re thankful for?

Representative Sarah McBride [00:02:28] The smallest thing I’m thankful for is what every introvert loves, which is canceled plans.

Sarah Stewart Holland [00:02:37] Especially this time of year. I’m not even an introvert and that’s a gift.

Representative Sarah McBride [00:02:43] You get the credit for saying yes and then you don’t have to do it. It’s great.

Beth Silvers [00:02:46] Yeah, perfect.

Ben Wikler [00:02:52] This is Ben Wickler, former chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. And I’m thankful for the way my giant Bernese Mountain Dog, Pumpkin, hops into bed with me and my wife and our kids when we’re snuggling and reading before bed at night. She’s 100 pounds, she’s a giant ball of fur and fluff and snuggles, and she will somehow find the one spot where she can literally touch every single member of our family. And she’ll curl up there in a way that makes it almost impossible to get out of bed at the end of reading time. But it’s the most glorious and loving and wonderful thing, and she will keep us warm through the winter. And even when everything is going wrong in the world, she makes everything okay.

Maggie Kays [00:03:29] Hi, my name is Maggie and Beth is my bestie and I am thankful for my candle warmer lamp, both because it is so cute on my desk and the light of it is so warm and inviting and it makes my whole house smell fantastic.

Ed O’Keefe [00:03:48] My name is Edward F. O’Keeffe and I am the author of The Loves of Theodore Roosevelt and the CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library. And I am grateful that even in this time of toil and trouble, we still have the love of dogs. Even though you smell because you were in the rain. We still love you.

Sarah Stewart Holland [00:04:08] The small thing that I’m thankful for is new friends. I love my lifelong friends. I have just the most devoted friends from college and from my early twenties, my times in law school. But the last few years I’ve made friends with people in really unexpected ways, through professional engagements, during travel, and making these friends decades past that like college bonding phase of life has been such a gift, and I am so thankful for it.

Casey Burgat [00:04:45] What’s good my Pantsuit Politics friends and fam. My name is Casey Burgat, and I’m a professor out here in the nation’s Capital, Washington, D.C., at George Washington University. And you know what I’m thankful for? I was going to say sports and more specifically the Denver Broncos and Nuggets, because I am. But really, something even more significant that just makes my heart beat a little bit stronger, it’s good light. When you light up things that matter to you, with just the chef’s kiss perfect good light. And where else could I be saying that than, boom, the United States Capitol, one of the best lit places on the planet, including the National Mall down there. Oh my goodness. So whether it is your garden, your house, a good looking library filled with the best hardcovers lit up just perfectly, that’s what I’m thankful for. Good light. The best of holiday seasons to you and yours. You guys are good people. Keep on doing what you’re doing. Peace.

Alise Napp [00:05:48] Hey, it’s Alise, the managing director of the podcast. This year, something small that I am thankful for is the Botanical Garden that is about 15 minutes from our house. We are lucky enough to have a free membership through a partnership they have with my son’s school. It is such a lifesaver and so amazing. They built a whole bunch of new stuff for kids and families in this past year. They’ve got this giant castle playground, which is awesome, but they also built several spaces where kids can play in nature. There’s this man-made creek where you’re everyone’s encouraged to take their shoes off and wade. There’s this area with like these giant rocks that kids can climb all over. My son likes to pretend that they’re Pride Walk and he’s Simba, obviously. Just things like that. It’s all shaded, which is key in a North Carolina summer. It’s fabulous. And, of course, there’s the normal botanical garden stuff. There’s fountains, seasonal flower beds, it’s beautiful. We love to go down there on a weekend morning or afternoon for a picnic, or just to let our son get out some of his endless energy by running around and playing. Sometimes during the weekdays, when the weather’s nice, I’ll go down for an hour or two with my laptop to work because they also have Wi-Fi. Or I’ll take a book just to sit by a fountain and get some Zen for a little while. It’s just great. They’ve got tons of educational and community programming, they’ve got hiking trails, they have a cafe. They’re just doing a lot of really smart intentional things to make it an inviting place for our family and other families to spend time. And I’m really grateful for that.

Xergio Chacin [00:07:12] Thanksgiving tends to bring big feelings in good ways and in bad. Some tables can be a battleground. Others are just an enormous amount of fun. For me, it’s one of the most fascinating holidays because it is so uniquely American. It wasn’t part of my life growing up, but having enjoyed it for many years now has become great. I am also a sucker for Thanksgiving movies, but that’s not why we’re here today. This is a time when we feel pressure to be thankful for the big things in life: family, health, food, shelter. Of course, those matter more than anything, but there are smaller things as well that pale in comparison but that we are thankful for as well. When we’re praying for the right parking spot by the door, and of course, peace in the Middle East. Maybe it’s just me. Anyway, this video is about one of those little things. I am thankful for Gordon Ramsay. Cheff Gordon Ramsay. Last year was a beast of a year. It was heavy. I lost my dad and later my brother. It was difficult to wrap it up. My professional or vocational actually. But [inaudible] has been a challenge, disheartening and just a whirlwind of cruelty. For 20 years I have been devoted to serving immigrants and refugees through a non-profit organization. It has always come with a fair load of headache, but not like this. This has been special. In the little time before bed when my wife and I finally sit down, talk a bit and maybe watch something, the only thing I can handle is Gordon Ramsay shows. They are mindless, uncomplicated, people come to cook, different formats, say bye. I am thankful for how many shows he’s made. And for how many seasons each show has and how many episodes each season has. I had never watched his show before, so I had a lot to go through. It’s relaxing. It’s simple. It’s the perfect mind cleanser before bed. Most nights-- well, who am I kidding? Most every night, my wife and I sit down after the day is over and watch one or two episodes while we eat dinner in front of the TV like the decent people we were raised to be, and chat with each other. It is a lovely time. Maybe what I’m thankful is for her and this special evening time. No doubt that is great. But today I want to express my gratitude to Chef Ramsey and his culinary show empire.

Bailey Dunn [00:11:09] Hey Pantsuit Politics crew and team. I’m Bailey. I work at Substack. And what I’m most grateful for this year mainly is Good Hang from Amy Polar. I’m a massive Amy Polar fan from Parks and Rec. And Good Hang has been the absolute light of my life this year. I love it so much. I’ve listened to every single episode, like honestly, multiple times, particularly the Rachel Drach episode and also the Hannah Berner and Paige DeSorbo one, and she is hilarious and makes every single Tuesday morning of mine one million times better. So I would really encourage everyone to listen, particularly with her Parks and Rec cast interviews crack me up. And I’m not sure how I got through my Tuesdays at all this year without Amy. So happy Thanksgiving, Amy, wherever you might be. Love you. Bye. And bye Pantsuit Politics team.

Sarah Stewart Holland [00:12:01] What’s the smallest thing you’re grateful for right now? Now, I don’t know if it’s coffee-- I think that’s great policy. Does it also come from a devotion to your morning cup like I have? Or are there other? What is the thing in your life?

Rep. Ro Khanna [00:12:15] I love coffee but I love masala chai, which is what I relax with. And when I have good masala chai I can have three to four cups of that. So it’s a small thing because you didn’t ask family or...

Sarah Stewart Holland [00:12:26] Right. Everybody’s going to say that.

Rep. Ro Khanna [00:12:29] So I would say my masala chai.

Sarah Stewart Holland [00:12:31] I love it.

Beth Silvers [00:12:33] That’s fantastic.

Liz Kaminetz [00:12:35] Hi, it’s Liz Kay. It’s a cold Sunday morning here in the Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania, and I have a yoga class to teach later, and I woke up this morning to find that my husband had gone out into the car at some point when I was sleeping, and he brought our yoga mats in to warm them by the fire. And so this morning I am grateful for this act of service. And in honor of this small act of service, to just make my class a little bit more comfortable for me, I have a poem that I’d like to share with you. It’s about these acts of services, these quiet things that people in our life do for us that maybe we don’t even recognize, these great kindnesses that people do that maybe they never even get thanked or recognized for. The poem is called Those Winter Sundays and it’s by Robert Hayden. Those winter Sundays. Sundays too, my father got up early, and put his clothes on in the blue black cold, then with cracked hands that ached from labor in the weekday weather, and made banked fires blaze. No one ever thanked him. I’d wake and hear the cold splintering, breaking. When the rooms were warm he’d call, and slowly I would rise and dress, fearing the chronic angers of that house, speaking indifferently to him who had driven out the cold and polished my good shoes as well. What did I know? What did I know of love’s austere and lonely offices? In gratitude for small acts of services for love’s lonely and austere offices, I wish you the best Thanksgiving available.

Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman [00:14:32] So the small thing that I am thankful for this year is that I let go of the rule that you can’t decorate for Christmas until after Thanksgiving. It just brings me so much joy. And so I’ve just decided I’m going to do it. And my family now knows that pretty much like right after Halloween, we’re going to start decorating for Christmas. So that is the thing I am thankful for this year.

Jane Perlez [00:14:55] Jane Perlez, host of our podcast, Face Off US versus China. I’m thrilled to be doing this segment. I think it’s a great idea to be sharing something small and unexpected. Mine is a book. It’s about Lincoln. Yes, there have been tons of books about Lincoln, 16,000 in fact. But this is new, not so new actually, but it’s just really great. It’s called Lincoln on the Verge, 13 Days to Washington by Ted Wilmer. He’s a historian and a former speechwriter for Bill Clinton. And he tells the story of the exciting train journey from Springfield, Illinois to Washington, where Lincoln was to be inaugurated. Along the way, we go through the new industrial cities of Cincinnati and Columbus. He makes speeches every night and sometimes during the day. He shakes the hands of thousands of people, and all along the way he talks about the necessity of keeping the Declaration of Independence and the embodiment of equal rights in that document for keeps. And I’m very pleased to be doing it because of course Lincoln is from Kentucky, as we all know, and so are Sarah and Beth from Pantsuit Politics.

Gov. Josh Shapiro [00:16:10] Hey, Pantsuit Politics, it’s Governor Josh Shapiro. I’m here at the Governor’s Residence in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. And I’m grateful for a whole lot of things, but I’m especially grateful for our first responders. Our first responders who ran into this building into danger to keep us safe. So I hope you’ll hold all of our first responders across this great nation in your hearts on this Thanksgiving.

Beth Silvers [00:16:33] The smallest thing I’m grateful for this year are wild strawberry crystal light packets. Hear me out. I’m not much of a coffee drinker, especially in the morning, but I went on a little retreat with one of my best friends this year, and she was telling me that she starts her day every day with wild strawberry crystal light. Has a little bit of caffeine in it, is a very bright and refreshing flavor. And she was like, “I just look forward to it the way people look forward to their coffee.” So I tried one and I was like this is it. I try to get up and exercise first thing in the mornings. Most mornings I absolutely do not want to do that. And what gets me through is knowing that on the other side I’m going to fill up my water bottle and dump some of that wild strawberry crystal light in, and it’s going to be like a little zing to get me going through the day.

Alise Napp [00:17:17] Over the last few weeks, so many of you participated in our survey about rising prices. We used that data to inform our episode last week, but we also asked a bonus question about the smallest things for which you are grateful. We got some of the most beautiful answers, and I want to share some of them with you. Fall colors. Sunrises. Hot baths. Peppermint star dark chocolate shortbread cookies from Trader Joe’s. Harney and Sons hot cinnamon spice tea. Hair growth after hair loss. Morning reading with my first cup of coffee. Tomatoes from my garden. The feeling of pulling drier lint off the screen. Dog snuggles. Rosy maple moths. Knowing how to cook from scratch. Three percent interest on our mortgage. Ultrasound imaging to see my growing baby during a high risk pregnancy. The Japanese maple in my backyard. It turns red the first week of December and feels like it’s getting dressed up for Christmas. Leaving our church. Church community. When my dog circles around looking for the exact right spot and finally settles and plops right down. Decaf coffee. Earplugs that are comfortable enough to wear while sleeping and still dampen my husband’s snoring. My Sudoku Page a Day calendar. Sharing my commute with my preschooler. Candles. Battery operated candles. Cozy socks. My soda stream. The way my toddler’s cute little legs look when he runs down the hall in his pajamas. The Marco Polo app. Walking my kids to school. The popcorn my husband makes for weekly movie night. Whoever is running Gavin Newsom’s social media. The thumping sound of my kids coming down the stairs in the morning. Great bold size ballpoint pens. Fun light switch covers. My long shoe horn. Friends who always make me a cup of tea and let me cry in their kitchen. I have reached a place in life where I can see moments I used to just skip over. When my adult kids are here and we are sitting around the table talking and laughing, I soak that up.

Rep. Greg Landsman [00:19:47] So I am thankful for this. This is a UDF coffee. UDF is like a gas station, convenience store kind of thing in Southwest Ohio. It’s my favorite thing in the world-- one of my favorite things in the world. Obviously, my family, my community, my country. But this coffee brings me such joy. And when I’m home, it’s just a nice experience. I drive down the hill to my UDF and I get a cup of coffee and it’s like a $1.89.

Speaker 6 [00:20:21] Why does it bring you joy when you go? Is it the experience or [crosstalk].

Rep. Greg Landsman [00:20:25] Honestly, it’s the experience. I think it’s the cup. It’s very sturdy and it just makes me happy.

Lacy Boling [00:20:38] Hey, Pantsuit Politics friends. I don’t really know how you do Thanksgiving thanks either. But one thing I do know is it’s probably cliche to say you’re thankful for your family. And if I’m being honest, they get on my nerves a little bit. So this year I’m really thankful for storytellers. And by that I mean I’ve read quite a few books that they talk about cool things, but I’m really talking about people that are vulnerable and share their stories one on one. Especially in the line of work that I do, I’m thankful for people who say, “I need help, here’s why.” And that helps me do the work that I do. And then I’m able to share it with folks like you who are in turn able to help the folks that I serve, and then people like me across the country are able to do the work that we do. So I’m thankful for the vulnerable and the storytellers this year. It’s been great to work with you all, and so I guess I’m a little bit thankful for that too, even though I’m a little bit of a curmudgeon. I am thankful for you too. So thanks a lot. Have a great Thanksgiving.

Christi Matthews [00:21:48] Okay, this year the little thing that I am grateful for is snow cones. They can also be snowballs or shave ice or anything that you want to call them. In Korea they call it bingsu, although that’s technically made with milk, but snow cones. Basically take some water, freeze it, shave it really thin, pour a bunch of sugar over it, if you really want to make it good, put some condensed milk on it. Snow cones. That’s what I’m grateful for this year.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen [00:22:13] I do love the Thanksgiving meal. I love my turkey and my sweet potatoes and my pumpkin pie. So that’s a small thing. But the big thing is that moment where everybody can gather around the table and remember how much we each love each other. And my view is that the country needs to adopt an approach based on the golden rule, meaning we should treat each other how we would want others to treat us. As opposed to the Trump golden rule, which is essentially he who has all the gold makes the rules. That’s the Trump administration. Thanksgiving is a time for that reflection. And I know a lot of people dread the dining room table discussion when they have politics at hand, so I will leave it to others on how they navigate that moment. But enjoy our families and the pumpkin pie.

Maggie Penton [00:23:18] Hello, I am Maggie, the Director of Community Engagement here at Pantsuit Politics, and my small gratitude that I wanted to share today is that this year I have learned how to crochet. I find it really very fun and very soothing. Sometimes I take my kids through a practice or something, and I find that people who crochet are very friendly and very helpful. And I was able to teach myself from a book, but also start up some really interesting conversations with people who showed me tricks and helped me get a little bit better at it. And I really enjoy just like on a weekend, kind of having a little project that I can plug away at. And doing something with my hands it feels really good. I like feeling like I’m doing something with my hands. I like the way the yarn feels. I like the way the tying the knots and making something with your hands. I think especially with my work being very online, having a very tactile physical pastime has just been a little gift this year that’s made my ear just a little bit better.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer [00:24:24] Hey Pantsuit Politics. I’m Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and I’m grateful for a lot. I’m grateful for Michigan’s fall colors. I’ve been able to see a lot of those recently. I’m grateful for the chance to meet so many Michiganders. We’re hardworking, friendly, compassionate, and tough people who show up for our neighbors. I’m grateful for my staff who helped me get things done and deliver for Michigan. I’m also grateful for my dogs, Kevin and Doug, they help cheer me up when times are tough.

Chad Silvers [00:24:55] Hi, it’s Beth’s adoring husband, Chad. A small thing I’m thankful for this year is Panera’s drink subscription. For a low price, I get coffee every day and all kinds of other drinks. It keeps me going.

Elizabeth Oldfield [00:25:09] At the moment, I am feeling incredibly grateful for the trees that line my street. It’s a particularly green area of London. I walk my kids to and from school every day up this street, and it is lined with plain trees. And I have learned that plain trees are all over London, partly because they’re very, very resilient to pollution. They absorb the pollution in their bark and then they drop their bark rather than taking it into themselves. And it doesn’t harm the tree, so they can live in the slightly harsh conditions of cities. And I’m grateful for them because they are beautiful. They lift my eyes up to the sky. Their leaves change colors, they provide shade. And they also remind me again and again and again that it is possible to live in harsh environments, in difficult times. We just need to learn the strategies for how not to absorb the poison into our system, but instead let it drop to the ground like autumn leaves.

Alise Napp [00:26:10] Thank you so much for joining us today. We hope you enjoyed this very different and very special episode and are feeling inspired to find the smallest things you are grateful for. We would love to hear those from you. Join in the conversation. Send us an email at hello@pantsuitpoliticsshow.com or join us in the comments at pantsuitpoliticsshow.com. Sarah and Beth will be back in your ears on Tuesday for a new regular episode. Until then, friends, have the very best holiday season available to you. We are so grateful for each and every one of you.

Show Credits

Pantsuit Politics is hosted by Sarah Stewart Holland and Beth Silvers. The show is produced by Studio D Podcast Production. Alise Napp is our Managing Director and Maggie Penton is our Director of Community Engagement.

Our theme music was composed by Xander Singh with inspiration from original work by Dante Lima.

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