As I sit and write this post I’d like to start by speaking about being grateful. Funny story, the wife and I recently watched November’s Into the Dark movie on Hulu which had a Pilgrim theme to it; and happened to touch on the grateful thing albeit in a rather extreme matter. I can relate to how much we seem to take those we love for granted and how it would seem that our careers and technological advances can easily take up so much of our precious time.

I fell victim to the carrot of advancement, I mean, you have to put in the hours so you seem dedicated, you take the extra shift because you want to be forefront in your superiors mind, you skip the birthday, anniversary, the kids first…, family holiday because you feel like it will guarantee your promotion. However that family you’ve been neglecting need you more and believe me you need them just as much.

Being grateful doesn’t mean that you have to please everyone around to make you feel good about the relationships you have. It means appreciating everything you have or would have left should you end up with nothing at all.

I am grateful this and every year for my wonderful family, those who are close and who are far, the ones I rarely or never speak to and those who aren’t related by blood or marriage but are closer than most of those who are. I am grateful for you dear reader who I would like to wish a Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. Now on to this week’s practice.

Much like last week’s minuscule x post, the minuscule v, pictured above, uses the first, second and third Spencerian principles. Also from what I can tell it also uses the same compound curve as the minuscule x with what they are referring to as a dot where the right curve meets the x-height out into a slight right curve half a space.

It’s been a struggle to keep good form while finishing the x page from last week and moving on to the v this week. It looks as if I could benefit from some more practice with the over-turn, under-turn strokes that make up the compound curve. I’ll be incorporating these strokes into my warm-up drills. It’ll be good to change things up a bit from the normal ovals and infinite loops, while improving the execution of my weaker strokes.

I’ll end with thank you for reading, happy practicing. And asking, what you are grateful for this year?