Happy Thanksgiving! As I have been talking to friends this
past week I am reminded that the holidays and time with family can bring out
the good but also the challenging aspects of family relationships. I am feeling
a little out of sorts this holiday. While I am so grateful for the friends and
family that will be joining us tomorrow at our house to celebrate Thanksgiving,
I am also a bit sad about those that will be missing. Due to complicated family
dynamics not all of my people will be present and it has me feeling a bit off.
In light of this, I decided to make the less than
traditional list of things I am thankful for this holiday season. Not to be irreverent
– I am indeed very thankful for my family and friends this season as well as
our health and gainful employment. I don’t take any of these things for
granted. But, I am also thankful for the following people/things that often don’t
get their due…
1. School
bus drivers. These amazing people drive 30-40 unruly, unbuckled kids to and
from school each day and I am sure don’t get compensated nearly enough. They
buy me 15 extra minutes of sleep each day.
2. The
heated seats in my new car. Seriously. Michael has asked me not to turn it on
when I am driving home from work because it increases my drowsiness but…I …can’t…help…myself.
3. Peppermint
mochas and the awesome baristas who find the delicate balance between just
enough and too much peppermint. It can turn a cup of coffee from liquid joy to
feeling like you have just been to the dentist.
4. Closely
followed by good friends who bring you the perfect peppermint mocha…just
because.
5. Whoever
made those diagrams of how to set a fancy table. I only do it once a year so I
forget every time. That diagram is just for me.
6. Happy
hour because every so often, you need a happy hour.
7. My
patients who don’t try to hit, scratch or bite me – they are actually the
majority and for this, I am thankful.
8. Yams.
I know most of you don’t like them but I do. I also like cranberry sauce – not the
kind that still has the rings from the can on it. The real stuff.
9. Melatonin.
Not just for me but for my son who thinks sleep is evil.
10. Ellen Degeneres. If ever I am feeling blue, I
just DVR Ellen. That lady can make me laugh until I hiccup.
11. Books. The
real, non-electronic kind. Nothing beats reading a good book and turning the
pages. The real pages.
May you be surrounded this Thanksgiving with
people you love and be reminded of the things you are thankful for. Happy
Thanksgiving.
