As I drive home each day, I notice that the tree tunnels are turning orange once again. What is a tree tunnel, you ask? It forms when the trees on both sides of the road are so large and intertwined that they create a canopy above the road. The wind tickles the leaves, and they gently fall to the ground. No more Indian summers. Fall has finally set up camp.

With the arrival of the orange tunnels, I’m glad to say that it’s almost my favorite holiday of the year—Thanksgiving. Not because I’m a major foodie, nor because of the parade or Black Friday. There’s something about the spirit of Thanksgiving that creates a hot-cocoa-on-a-rainy-day type feeling inside me. It’s a time for reflection, some major family bonding, and the DIY top-chef cooking adventure of the year.

This year, in particular, reflection rises above the usual introspection. The age-old question, “What are you thankful for?” has never felt so bittersweet.

I can hardly imagine that this is my last year as a student at Gunn. Although I’m a senior, I still occasionally run with my backpack on (I swear, it’s only when I’m late to class...), and my friends and I still act like goofballs during lunch. It’s weird to think that next year everything will be different. All I know for now is that the people at Gunn are what made my time here worthwhile.

We’ve had our fair share of good and bad days. I am truly grateful for those who came along for the journey as I and the rest of Gunn trudged through swamps of adversity. For now, I’m going to group these folks into three general categories: friends, teachers/adults, and the general Gunn student population.

The friendships that I’ve formed at Gunn are invaluable. I’ve never felt so strongly about this as I do now. Maybe it’s because I’ve been thinking about how next year I’ll only get to see my friends during breaks if we end up going to different schools. Friends are there to offer fashion advice, to share splendid lunches, but most importantly, they’re right there next to us when we’re stuck in a swamp. They lend us their ears, offer their shoulders and are quick to give big bear hugs.

Next, teachers are just as important to our emotional growth as they are to our educational learning. I feel lucky to say that I’ve encountered many teachers who have left their stamp on their students’ lives. It’s heartwarming to see when teachers care about students on more than just an academic level. They don’t just care if students use commas correctly, calculate permutations or know how to conjugate “to go” in the pluperfect tense. A simple “How’s life?” goes a long way. When a teacher genuinely cares, it doesn’t take spidey-senses for students to feel it and reciprocally care about their teacher as well.

Lastly, there’s the general Gunn student population. With a population of almost 2000, the people we don’t usually talk to end up lost in the sea of faces we swim through during passing periods. Although we don’t know each other very well or at all, we all contribute to the Gunn community in our own big and small ways. We each help weave a part of the Gunn web of life. Seeing the projects students have taken up and how we care for one another, it goes to show that our campus is full of beautiful hearts and minds. I can proudly declare that HMGGMH.

Wow, that felt good. So maybe Dr. Luskin was right—expressing gratitude can give you an endorphin rush. Let’s spread the joy like H1N1—What are you thankful for this year?