Giving Thanks

As we head in to Thanksgiving week, I wanted to pass along the top five items I'm thankful for this year.

5. Being employed: For as much as I've allocated my words on this page to bitching about work and my lack of weekends and how difficult adjusting to the "real world" of legal practice is, I've also seen far too many facebook status messages from friends and acquaintances facing uncertainties of the economy. I've mentored law students who look at me fearfully when I ask what kind of job they'd like and they can only answer "any job." So I'm thankful for colleagues I respect and appreciate, and an office to return to each day. At least for now.

4. Having my family safe on solid ground: My BigBrotherTuesday is among the many wonderful men and women of our Armed Forces who spent the past year thousands of miles from home protecting our country, and I'm very thankful that he gets to spend this holiday season here with his family.

3. Quiet Sunday afternoons: Perhaps a corollary to number one. The hectic pace at which I careened through the summer months has made me truly appreciate the weekends when I have the ability to sit in my sweatpants until 2 pm and cleaning, doing laundry, making yummy breakfast, and talking to my parents on the phone. Some of the best days are the ones spent doing very little.

2. Old friends: HT and I have had multiple opportunities in the past year to reunite and reconnect with friends from various stages of life, whether it be childhood friends, college classmates, or former colleagues, the number of random but touching encounters we've had continue to grow. And in those moments, we found ourselves falling back into exactly the way things were 5, 10, or in some cases even 15 years ago, and I can't think of much better than having such deep bonds of friendship.

1. New Beginnings: Last year was the start of a unique phase life in which HT and I are starting to make our own holiday traditions. And for as much as I have whined this year about split holidays and dealing with the logistics of being away from home, I'm learning that my home, our home, is really and truly together. It won't be smooth, and it will keep changing over the course of at least the next 5 years or so, if not longer, but it's a great adventure to be embarking on, and I'm thankful to have such a wonderful partner on that journey.