I'm very glad that I asked people to share some of the things for which they're grateful this Thanksgiving. I'm including a dozen replies below (I'd include more, but I want this to be a reasonable length.)

What really strikes me is the degree to which people seem to choose gratitude.

Not all the experiences you'll see people talk about below are things that you'd characterize on a whim as positive—job loss, health issues, even death. It was very cathartic for me to read these, and how people viewed them in a way that offered an opportunity for thankfulness.

By the way, I had probably 100 replies directly from readers, plus more in the comments section. I'm going to keep that open and running so people can read those as well, and add to them if you'd like.

Many of you expressed gratitude for this newsletter, but I edited it out of most replies after the first one; otherwise it read as if I were fishing for compliments! But I heard you, and I appreciate your kind words!

OK, our list begins below this Thanksgiving-appropriate stock photo:

(OK, for the rest of these I’m going to edit out the parts where readers were nice enough to express gratitude for this newsletter. I appreciate it, but it might look like I was fishing for compliments. There were a lot of you though! — Bill)

Thank you again to everyone who sent me a message; I wish I could include more but this is already pretty long. There are more in the comments section.

I'm taking off Thanksgiving and the day after, but we'll return on Monday morning. See you then and thanks again!

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7 other things worth knowing today

• Here's something economic to be grateful for: U.S. drivers can expect the cheapest gas prices on Thanksgiving day since 2020. The national average for gallon of regular gas was about $3.31 on Monday, 25 cents cheaper than a month ago and 36 cents lower than the same period in 2022, according to AAA. (CNBC)
• Concerns about certain crimes are at their highest levels in decades, causing Americans to isolate themselves from their communities, according to new polling. A recent Gallup poll found that 28% of Americans worry frequently or occasionally that they will be murdered, and 40% of Americans nationwide are afraid to walk within a mile of their homes alone at night, highest since 1993. (Miami Herald)
• Sales of previously owned homes were 4.1% lower in October compared with September, running at a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 3.79 million units, according to the National Association of Realtors. It was the slowest sales pace since August 2010. Analysts were expecting a smaller drop, to 3.9 million units. Sales were down 14.6% year-over-year. (CNBC)​
• Uber is imagining a world where people don’t own cars. So they paid 58 Australians to leave theirs at home for four weeks. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Uber ride share was the biggest winner from the trial, with trips increasing 450% over the course of the trial (up from just 1%). The biggest absolute increase in trip numbers was walking. (Forbes)
• Target is testing a new self-checkout policy as retailers are finding the cashier-less technology can put off customers. At a handful of stores, Target has restricted self-checkout to customers buying 10 items or fewer. Customers buying more than that are required to use full-service lanes with cashiers. A Target spokesperson said the test was designed to shorten wait times and “better understand” shoppers’ preferences. (CNN)
• Millennials say they need $525,000 a year to be happy. A Nobel prize winner's research shows they're not wrong. (Business Insider)
• The final frontier for helicopter parents? Inside the Facebook and WhatsApp groups where moms arrange playdates for their college kids. (The Cut)

Thanks for reading, and a special welcome to the new readers who subscribed to Understandably since the last edition of this newsletter! See you next Monday!