It’s Thanksgiving week, so we decided to dedicate this episode of A Couple Thinks to gratitude, the kind you hold onto while we’re living through Trump’s second term.
We organized our gratitude into four buckets: politics, family, lifestyle, and community. (Yes, we categorized our gratitude. No surprise to those who know us!)
Here are the highlights — and you can hear the full conversation in this episode!
Political gratitude (surprisingly, yes)
A few things we’re genuinely thankful for:
* More sunlight on Trump’s Epstein ties and on the victims, which is pushing some of his supporters away from him.
* People resisting ICE and showing up in their communities to protect neighbors.
* Independents and Latino voters peeling off from Trump as affordability, ICE, and healthcare failures come into focus.
* Judges holding the line despite threats.
* Protests and voter turnout — from No Kings Days to November elections with big democratic wins.
It’s not “everything’s fine”; it’s “thank god for the people fighting to keep things from getting worse.”
Family & health
We’re grateful for:
* A healthy family (never taken for granted).
* Time with our adult daughters when everyone’s home.
* Tucci, our new cat, who has taken over the house and our hearts.
* And 30 years of marriage on the 30th! A golden-ish anniversary.
Everyday joys
We talked about:
* Loving our work and the clients we get to help.
* Living in walkable, beautiful Berkeley.
* Lisa’s bullet journal reminded her of the fun we had at several local street festivals, short getaways, and our longer fall road trip.
Community, online and off
Aaron shared how meaningful his internet radio community is, especially after this year’s gathering in Denver. Lisa talked about her July ’97 moms group — 29 years of connection across platforms, life stages, and states.
The internet isn’t always kind, but when it works, it works.
The podcast & a few random gratitudes
We’re thankful for this podcast and for all of you who listen and send feedback. It helps us process this political moment without drowning in it.
And yes, we’re grateful for:
* Vaccines (political or not, they matter).
* Trader Joe’s holiday items, which spark disproportionate joy.
This week’s actions
* Write postcards for ongoing special elections in Florida and Georgia.
* Shop small and local as holiday season ramps up.
* Carry Know Your Rights cards and share them with neighbors.
* Call your reps about the issues weighing on you most.
Joyful moments
We closed the episode, as always, with what brought us joy this week:
* Celebrating Aaron’s and Jolie’s birthdays.
* Jolie’s upcoming visit home.
* Aaron’s safe (and relatively drama-free) trip to Denver.
* A spontaneous Friday night IKEA run that turned into an oddly delightful date night.
* Aaron’s new audio gear that lets him punch buttons and up his late-night radio show hosting game.
* Progress on turning his office into a proper studio (with those IKEA run purchases).
None of this cancels out the fear, anger, or grief so many of us feel. But noticing these moments helps keep us from becoming too stuck.
Want the full conversation?
This was one of our most wide-ranging episodes of the year.🎧 Listen to the full Thanksgiving episode!
And if you’re willing, reply with one thing you’re grateful for — political, personal, or just wonderfully trivial.
We’re grateful for you being here. Happy Thanksgiving. 🧡
