Every year around this time I start badgering the kids in my family to give me their wish list so I have time to purchase, wrap and/or ship everything before Christmas. My 5 year old happily obliged giving me a very long list (he loves Lego Hero Factory and wants every hero, especially Von Nebula - good luck finding that one Santa!) He was also very helpful in giving me a list of what he thought that his low-verbal 3 year old and 1 1/2 year old brothers would want (anything Cars 2 and something to draw on). It was all very helpful. I then called my sister to get the list for my niece and nephew. My niece is mature beyond her years and would like to start a perfume collection (she's so much like me, it's great!). My nephew was more difficult. He couldn't think of anything that he wanted. In a fit of impatience, I threatened to give his present to an underprivileged kid instead. To my surprise he thought that was a great idea and asked me if I really would. In an instant, my faith in humanity restored (or at least, my faith in West Virginian teenagers).
.jpg)
It's not often that you talk with a teenager who is happy with everything he has and doesn't want more. For that matter, it's not often you talk with a professional who is happy with everything and doesn't want more. Given that this is the week of Thanksgiving in the US, I'm going to take this opportunity to channel my nephew and be grateful for what I have. It's amazing how often even educated adults will ignore what's right in front of them while in pursuit of something else. The grass is greener syndrome runs rampant in corporate America. And while I hold no illusions that any employer cares more about you as an employee than they do about their bottom lines, even in this recovering economy many of us are in good positions with good companies.
So this week I am thankful for truly enjoying the work I do. Many lawyers graduate from law school with an expectation of what practice will be like only to be severely disappointed. Luckily, I'm not one of them. I actually enjoy most aspects of my job and love the fact that I'm continually learning and growing professionally and personally, and getting paid to do it!
I'm thankful to have a good job with a good company that offers benefits that cover the therapies and treatments my son needs. He's made so much progress since starting his therapies, he's so close to saying "Mommy". Of course "McQueen" is more important - he said that last night, my ego took a slight hit but that was drowned out by my excitement that he's saying any words without prompting.
I'm thankful for great mentors who have helped me both professionally and personally. I don't know where I'd be with Christine Jones or Nancy Ebe. These two ladies are among the wisest, most intelligent and most compassionate people in the world. If you are lucky enough to meet them, know that they each do more to help others in a single week than you or I do in a year with nothing to gain personally. They're also pretty fun to spend time with - just ask Christine about politics or Nancy about her chickens.
I'm thankful for my husband who has put his career on hold indefinitely so that someone can be there to take care of the kids and advocate for my 3 year old. His professional sacrifice for the family is what makes it possible for me to follow my dreams and pursue success in the legal world. His patience with the kids (something he has in spades and that I lack too often), has resulted in 3 of the finest young men I've met. I love seeing more and more of him in them each day.
I'm thankful for friends and family that accept that I work to much and spend the majority of my spare time with my kids. Those friends that love me anyway and will catch a lunch or coffee during the week instead of happy hour, or will catch up on that one Saturday afternoon after months of not hearing from me. These people enrich my life beyond anything that I deserve.
Lastly, I'm thankful for this blog and the outlet to speak out about what's on my mind. I've met so many interesting people from around the globe just because I ramble on weekly about practicing law in house online. Who knew it could be so liberating - I've been rambling daily in private, so putting it online has been a very fun experiment.
Now you've got my list, what are you thankful for this year?
.jpg)
So this week I am thankful for truly enjoying the work I do. Many lawyers graduate from law school with an expectation of what practice will be like only to be severely disappointed. Luckily, I'm not one of them. I actually enjoy most aspects of my job and love the fact that I'm continually learning and growing professionally and personally, and getting paid to do it!
I'm thankful to have a good job with a good company that offers benefits that cover the therapies and treatments my son needs. He's made so much progress since starting his therapies, he's so close to saying "Mommy". Of course "McQueen" is more important - he said that last night, my ego took a slight hit but that was drowned out by my excitement that he's saying any words without prompting.
I'm thankful for great mentors who have helped me both professionally and personally. I don't know where I'd be with Christine Jones or Nancy Ebe. These two ladies are among the wisest, most intelligent and most compassionate people in the world. If you are lucky enough to meet them, know that they each do more to help others in a single week than you or I do in a year with nothing to gain personally. They're also pretty fun to spend time with - just ask Christine about politics or Nancy about her chickens.
I'm thankful for my husband who has put his career on hold indefinitely so that someone can be there to take care of the kids and advocate for my 3 year old. His professional sacrifice for the family is what makes it possible for me to follow my dreams and pursue success in the legal world. His patience with the kids (something he has in spades and that I lack too often), has resulted in 3 of the finest young men I've met. I love seeing more and more of him in them each day.
I'm thankful for friends and family that accept that I work to much and spend the majority of my spare time with my kids. Those friends that love me anyway and will catch a lunch or coffee during the week instead of happy hour, or will catch up on that one Saturday afternoon after months of not hearing from me. These people enrich my life beyond anything that I deserve.
Lastly, I'm thankful for this blog and the outlet to speak out about what's on my mind. I've met so many interesting people from around the globe just because I ramble on weekly about practicing law in house online. Who knew it could be so liberating - I've been rambling daily in private, so putting it online has been a very fun experiment.
Now you've got my list, what are you thankful for this year?
No comments:
Post a Comment