Giving Thanks For The Here & Now

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. I get giddy about it like little kids do about Christmas morning. But I can’t help myself; it’s typically the first time I see my parents and siblings after a few months. I look forward to the good food, warm drinks, and snuggly cold weather, and I typically take time off of work to really relax and travel.

Obviously, that will look much different this year. The food and drinks will still be good, but the family will be Zoomed in from all over the country and the traveling just won’t happen. Despite this feeling so different and almost disappointing, I won’t lose the fact that there is so much goodness to be grateful for and Thanksgiving is a great reminder of these feelings.

First of all, I’m thankful that I have a family that I miss! I have supportive and loving parents, sisters and their husbands whom I adore, and a sweet nephew who knows me by name despite living far away. We Zoom, play games, and do yoga together over a tiny screen. Of course it’s not ideal, but I love that technology has allowed this to be commonplace (very grateful for technology especially this year - please don't mind all the faces!).

Second, I am grateful that we as a society have learned how to adapt and roll with the punches in 2020. Never Zoomed before? Now we’re pros. Never online grocery shopped? Now we can do it with our eyes closed. Never made or wore a face mask? Now we wear them like a second skin. We have learned how to develop a vaccine quicker than ever before. The innovation is so inspiring to see. As they say, out of necessity comes innovation- and that has never been more apparent to me than this year.

Also, I’m so grateful for my hard-working and inspiring coworkers. We have rallied together, developed plans to keep our patients safe while still providing excellent treatment, and come together as group as we never have before. Even having a job in 2020 is something to be so thankful for, and working with people you respect and adore is just the icing on the cake. And with that said, I am so thankful for the worldwide health care providers who have put themselves on the front lines for the last 9 months. It’s truly so inspiring to see, and I am so blessed to be a small part of that.

So while things don’t and aren’t the same this holiday season, there’s so much goodness in the world that we can still shine a bright light towards. And for that ability, I am eternally grateful.