Getting To (11-24-08)

This Thanksgiving, I have decided to try and give thanks for the things I get to do, or have gotten to do throughout the year. It is easy to give thanks for the good things in your life, the family and friends, the good food and the good times. By giving thanks for all I get (or have gotten) to do, I have found a way to be thankful for just about everything else.

For example, I am thankful for getting to take out the trash. Now you might think that is not something for which to give thanks, but think about it. Having trash means that you have more than you need. I am thankful for getting to take out the trash because it means that I am healthy enough to do it, and I have enough blessings in my life to have plenty of trash that needs taking out.

I am also thankful because, on occasion, I get to clean dirty dishes and change dirty diapers. Both require me to be home, and I am always thankful for every opportunity to be home. The first means that I have food. A starving person has nothing to put on a dish to get it dirty. The second means I have young children and what a blessing our children are, no matter how many messes they make!

At work, I give thanks that I get to deal with problematic student behavior. Yep, that’s right, I am thankful I get to work with kids when they are disruptive, hurtful, unmotivated, and uncooperative. I am thankful when they are sent to the office, because as a school administrator, I get the privilege of trying to teach them (through consequences and punishments) to see the error of their ways.

I am grateful that I get to talk with angry and frustrated parents, whether it be at a ball game, or on the phone. I get the privilege of listening to their complaints, and helping them work though their frustrations. I am thankful they call me because, as I say a hundred times a year, “I can only help solve the problem if I know what the problem is.”

I am thankful for getting to attend countless meetings, because I get to have a seat at many tables. I am thankful I get to attend countless activities and athletic events because I get to watch our kids perform. I am thankful I get to drive countless miles to workshops and conventions, because at the end of long trips, I get to continue as a life long learner. I am grateful I get to answer countless phone calls and respond to countless emails because that means people want to talk to me.

I am grateful that I get to sign leave forms, transportation requests, time cards, and other forms. No matter how tedious, these things are important, and I play a vital role in keeping the river of paper work flowing!

I even give thanks that I get to fill out and submit state reports. It reminds me that I get to hold the awesome responsibility of being held accountable for the performance of our students and our school.

Thinking about my life in terms of what I get to do has helped me find the positive in even the most negative situation. For instance, while I am not thankful that my mom died this year, I am profoundly grateful and give the utmost thanks that I was able to spend some of the most amazing moments I will ever know with her at the end of her life. I am truly thankful for the time I got to share with family that I hadn’t seen in years, I cannot give enough thanks for my sisters as we have helped each other through the difficult time.

I give thanks that I get to breathe, to have full use of my senses and full range of motion in my limbs. I give thanks that my mind works (at least most of the time) reasonable well (at least some of the time). I give thanks that I get to spend a little time each week with each of you. The kind words many of you have expressed about my column have kept it from becoming chore, and have inspired me to try to be a better writer, to create a better column, each and every week.

So this Thanksgiving, while you are counting your blessings, do not overlook the hardships and unpleasant tasks set before you. While you may not always enjoy everything life throws at you, at the very least give thanks that you are getting to experience the joys and sorrows of being alive. Happy Thanksgiving!