Thanksgiving morning started the way many holidays do—not with serenity, but with a burst of real-life chaos. My barely-one-year-old puppy decided the Fire TV remote was a festive snack, which led to me trekking through a leaf-covered backyard in the cold. I eventually found the remote buried in a pile of leaves on the deck… only to discover that my sneakers had also found a hidden pile of dog poop. Not exactly the cozy, grateful start I had imagined for the holiday.

Once things finally settled down, I reached for a book I’d been saving: All Is Calmish by Niro Feliciano. It felt like the right choice for the moment—and the right choice for the November Not Quite Superhuman Reading Challenge, where the theme was Gratitude. And honestly? I didn’t just want the reminder; I needed it.

Because even though my day began with a puppy-led scavenger hunt and a less-than-fresh footwear situation, it also brought a spark of joy: a literary agent emailed to ask for the full proposal for a book project I’ve been working on. I spent the rest of the weekend riding that wave of gratitude and hope.

And then Sunday arrived.

Right before dinner, another email came in. The same agent, very kindly, let me know that after reviewing the full proposal, she didn’t feel she was the right fit to represent the book. It was thoughtful and professional, but still—disappointing. Before I could spiral, my son stepped in, announcing that I was not cooking. He grabbed his keys, went to pick up pizza, and wordlessly reminded me what support and care look like.

That moment? Also gratitude.

Reading All Is Calmish amid all this emotional turbulence was perfect timing. Feliciano’s core message is that calm isn’t a pristine state—it’s a practice. Life will always deliver a mix of joy, frustration, surprise, and “ish.” What matters is how we meet those moments and the gratitude we cultivate inside them.

This book fit November’s theme beautifully. It doesn’t ask us to be thankful after everything goes well. It shows us how to find small, steady gratitude in the middle of the messy, the unexpected, the chaotic, and the disappointing. Even in dog-chewed remotes. Even in professional ups and downs. Even in Sunday-night pizza rescues.

By the time the weekend ended, I realized something important: gratitude isn’t the bow on the story—it’s the thread running through all of it.

And All Is Calmish was exactly the reminder I needed.