Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Or at least almost Thanksgiving! Hope you’re all ready for too much food, football, and the helpful relative at the dinner table who throws out the comment: “Let’s all go around the table and say one thing we’re thankful for.”

Uh-oh.

That has to be one of the more dreaded Thanksgiving moments for me. (And if any of my family is reading this, don’t even think it!) What’s worse though is having that come up during workplace Thanksgiving lunches. You have to be quick on your feet or at least hope they’re not starting at your end of the table. Do you try to come up with a clever response? Something sincere? Or at least one thing that doesn’t make you look like a heel?

No pressure!

However, as much as I’m not a fan, I’ve been thinking this week of what I’m thankful for this year. Last year, I suspect most of us were thankful we were still here in the middle of the pandemic when plenty of people weren’t. Kind of hard to take an assessment at that point of much else. But for some reason, maybe feeling nostalgic, I thought I’d take a few minutes and share what’s been rattling around in my head the last few days.

First and foremost, I’m thankful that I’ve been able to see friends and family this year, even traveling a bit to make that happen. Hanging out with our friend Bill in Denver was a lot of fun, even with my attempted plunge down his staircase. We also were able to make a quick trip to New Orleans, our home away from home. (Versus Bill – our homo away from home.) And for the first time in two years, James’ parents were able to make the trek to Dallas for the holiday.

Which brings me to being thankful we have a guest room again! I’ve enjoyed working from home but being back in the office means we have a guest room again that looks like an actual guest room. Still catches me off guard a bit to see the bed made instead of sitting upright against the wall. However, at a minimum, this gives friends a place to stay should they find themselves needing a break from the usual. And I think we’re all thankful for that from time to time.

Of course, I can’t talk about being thankful without talking about the pandemic. Thankful that our friends and family have stayed relatively healthy through the last 20 months. Thankful that vaccines are making that possible. And thankful that the doctors and nurses have worked so hard to help those who have been sick. Our few friends who have been sick with Covid have really been blessed to be treated so well by professionals who at this point must be worn out.

I also can’t let the moment go by without mentioning how thankful I am for my husband. I’m continually amazed that he doesn’t just pat me on the head and say: “That’s nice honey. Why don’t you go sit down?” I suspect a lot of you feel the same. Not about James, obviously. But you know what I mean. And for those of you married to architects, a special thanks for enduring while we continually considering remodeling the house; or make you take architecture tours when we go on vacation; or stop in the middle of the street to get a photo because a building or detail is just too good to pass up.

By Thursday afternoon, however, I will probably be the most thankful for loose fitting clothes. Which I think will make a great answer at dinner should someone ask. Good luck! And gobble gobble!