Thankful

It seems like I just finished my thankful list for last year, and here we are again. Another year. Another thousand plus one reasons to be thankful. I don't mean to sound snarky. I am thankful. I really do have another thousand plus one reasons to be thankful this year.

I'm thankful for the friends who, when I left the law firm, told me that three months after leaving, I'd look at where I was and wonder why I ever worried. They're a smart bunch. They were right. I left the firm at loose ends. I curled as small as I could in the front seat of the swagger wagon and sobbed after I exited stage left for the last time.

I wasn't a debutante. I barely got asked to prom, and I certainly wasn't schooled in social graces. But last week, I had my coming out party--or so we joked at the office. We hosted our annual pro bono recognition luncheon, and suddenly, I found myself at the podium in front of some of the most kind-hearted, generous, and talented attorneys and students that I've had the pleasure of knowing. I've heard good reports on the luncheon. Folks tell me they enjoyed the speakers and the food. But for me, it was about so much more than pumpkin cheesecake and award certificates. This was the first time in a number of years that I felt like I could hold my head high. No spreadsheet of billable hours lurked in the back of my mind (or anyone else's). No judgment was passed. In junior high, I tried to make myself as small as possible, hunched in my chair, avoiding eye contact, and hoping that I could escape the hallway rush without running into anyone. For the past few years, I walked through the door of my figurative junior high. Cursed with knowledge of my billable hour totals and the reality of part time, I slunk into the coffee room, avoided eye contact, and hoped I could escape into an empty elevator everyday to pick up my children from school. I lost sleep over debts that weren't mine and prayed for opposing parties to find extra dollars between their couch cushions so that I wouldn't really have to be the one taking the family farm.

I made it through junior high and found my place. And, this year, I'm thankful that I've found my place once again. I'm in no way operating at 100% (yet), but I'm thankful for a position that makes me feel good about who I am.  I'm learning about access to justice, meeting new people, and taking notes on pro bono clinics. It's exciting, and (I think) it's important.  And so, it seems that my new job is my "plus one" to be thankful for this year.

My other thousand thankful moments mostly come from weekends like these:

I'm thankful for friends, RJ's and mine. Friends make every meal a little more savory, every game a little more fun, and every day a little more memorable. 

I'm thankful for little family memories, like hunting for the elusive Edmond turkey--even if he was hiding in the library looking up recipes for vegetarian stuffing (I have a problem. My children will someday learn the depth of their mother's storytelling habits. Until then, Skippyjohn Jones is still cooking up the bean burritos at Taco Bell, and his cousin is the siamese cat next door.) 

I'm thankful for warm winter coats and fuzzy hats. 

This year, I'm thankful that I can run a mile with my boy because last year at this time...a mile was far, far too much to ask of my legs. 

I'm thankful for little chairs for little bottoms and for child appropriate programs that entertain little ones and keep them out of the kitchen. 

I'm thankful that sometimes they get along. 

I'm thankful for sturdy furniture. (She picked out those boots herself. I would not have selected Batman snow boots for her ensemble.)

I'm thankful for playful peek-a-boo games in the middle of a busy afternoon. 

I'm thankful that I didn't destroy the bird. It was edible. It was more than edible. Dare I say, it was actually quite tasty!

I'm thankful that RJ has a heart for service. He served the bread and seated everyone for Thanksgiving dinner. I'm not sure how I feel about him seating the boys at one table and the girls at the other, but so long as the girls got the chocolate pie, I suppose it's okay. 

I'm thankful for my ShopVac. Because without it, I could have never cleaned up this mess. Who knew that Pyrex could explode?!

I'm thankful for solid transportation and an uncle who's willing to share his for the best picture ever. 

I'm thankful for solid transportation for my boy and that even though his knees hit the steering wheel, he still finds little bulldozers to be big excitement. 

I'm thankful for pleasant afternoons and safe streets to play in. 

I'm thankful that she's no speed demon (yet). 

I'm thankful for piles and miles of fall leaves. Without them, we would have lost out on a good morning of family fun. 

I'm thankful for these two little people. They keep me hopping. They taught me that two little people can change one big career.

And now, just as my smarty pants friends predicted,  I can't believe that I was ever worried. 

And for that, I'm most thankful of all.