Thanksgiving

So it is now 5 days after Thanksgiving Day. Back to work yesterday and the catch up game continues but that is OK with me because I had a great little break and much time to ponder the innumerable things I am thankful for.

I am thankful that people actually read this blog and many have asked when the next post was coming. If you’re telling me this to flatter and charm me, please continue because it is working. I know I am not a great humanitarian or changing people’s lives here, but if this is entertaining or educational or just a distraction from something you might be doing you need a break from, I’m here for you.

I am thankful for my laptop computer because I am sitting at my dining room table, Christmas tree to the right, the Today show on to the left. I often have to bring homework to my annex office here as the paperwork and computer drudgery is just too overwhelming to complete before I ‘clock out’ at the end of the day. That sounds more dramatic than the reality: I prefer to work here although my office is amazing. Dorothy was right: there’s no place like home.

I am thankful for my beloved dog, Lucy. This sweet, almost 15 year old beauty follows me everywhere I go in this house and plops down next to me. Such a simple gesture but arguably one of the most precious things ever. I read a hideous post the other day about a man who took his dog to a shelter and when asked why he was relinquishing the dog he stated, ‘she is always by my side.’ Yea, that’s awful….dog has to go. There’s a special place in hell for people like you, mister.

I am thankful that I am wearing size 6 jeans right now (especially on the heels of that long holiday…whew!), that I can actually sit and stand in them, that I can feel my feet as the blood flow is not strangulated. I am thankful that denim manufacturers have started adding enough elastic to denim that sizes previously unattainable to me are now an option. For girls like me that were once associated with Butterball and not only when buying a turkey, things like this matter.

I am thankful that the sun is going to shine today after many days of cold, wet rain. I am thankful for the cold, wet rain because that means a chance to bring out the cozy rain boots and sweaters.

OK. Enough of that frivolity. All of those things matter. It is a great thing to sit in your world alone and look around and feel happy, satisfied. Thankful. But those things I listed aren’t really what it’s about and I know that. Giving thanks for the tangible things is important. You should appreciate things. But it’s the intangibles that really matter. Let me continue to embrace what I am thankful for:

My health. I am so thankful that Jeff and I have good health. I am thankful that my family and friends, for the most part, are in good health. There are some very dear to me that are struggling with their health right now. Breast cancer is an exceptionally evil monster in the world of many that I love right now. I am recovering from a stupid calf injury and a cut thumb. If that’s the worst thing going on with me, it’s all good.

My work. I am heading into my 12th year in practice and cannot believe the beautiful world that surrounds me. The amazing women…and Tim…that make it all happen. The gorgeous patients that trust me with their concerns. The gift of a surgical suite in the office that is dedicated to the memory of my amazing mother. I am thankful that I have personal relationships with my patients and consider so many friends after the work is done.

My home. I think I might take for granted having a place to call home. Some days I don’t even process where I am headed when I go there. But then I get there and a smile consistently comes over my face. It’s not much, our small little bungalow. But it’s ours, mine and Jeff’s. And Lucy and Tucker’s, I suppose, but they rarely invite friends over or have mail delivered so I tend to exclude them. So sad. Many know we renovated our house a year or so ago and it is all that we imagined. I always laugh when I tell people what David Lewis, our friend and builder, first came over after we had really moved in and decorated. ‘It’s a visual orgasm’, he said. ‘A lot going on here.’ I like that. A visual orgasm. Who wouldn’t be thankful for that?

My family. My real and extended family. I will never recover from the loss of my mother now almost 7 years ago. That forever changed the landscape of my family. We are geographically scattered about the nation and do not get to spend holidays together. I love my family and I miss what our unity once was. My Texas family is a blessing that I can hardly comprehend. The love of so many and the time to spend together is priceless. My friends are so precious to me and I am grateful for every one of them, near and far. There are some that I haven’t had the privilege of face time with in quite some time but feel certain that when the time comes, it will be like just yesterday.

I am so thankful for so many blessings in my life. My world is not perfect but it’s pretty damn close as far as I am concerned. I am hopeful for the future, grateful for the present, nostalgic for the past. I wish for everyone grace, gratitude, peace and joy as we embark on this holiday season. Our world is a frightening place right now but I choose to focus on that which I can control here in my little world. I focus on thanks. If you’re reading this, I am thankful for you.

Here’s up to it!

E