Gratitude, Swimming Upstream, and Bartending (Scratching #22 off the List)

"The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation." - Henry David Thoreau

I didn't participate in that 22days of Thanksgiving thing over on Facebook. Everybody knows I'm thankful for my kid, my family, living in Oxford, the works. I pretty much keep folks over-informed about my levels of gratitude for those basics. Past that, I would either have had to come up with things that made me sound good and feel contrived (and we all know I'm not about to do that) or admit that I'm thankful for things like the new beer law and the fact my kid is finally old enough to be dropped off at birthday parties (oh wait, I think I did admit that one).

Anyway, on Wednesday night, as I began to wind down from a long week of cooking, cleaning, fun with friends, and late nights, and prepare myself for Thanksgiving Day, I began to give some thought to what I was specifically thankful for this year (aside from, of course, the usual suspects). What I eventually settled on was this: I AM THANKFUL FOR THE COURAGE TO SWIM UPSTREAM.

I'm referring, obviously, to my recent job and life change, but also to the ins and outs of my everyday life. This life I live is my own. I don't do things the way most people do things, I do them the way that is best for me and my family...the way that works for us. I get weird looks, raised eyebrows, rude comments, and shrugged shoulders, and this year, especially, I'm thankful that none of those things hinder me in my pursuit of a full life.

In that same vein I'm thankful for two groups of people: those who have encouraged me along the way -- some I have known for 30+ years, some I have known for less than 3, some I've never even met in real life yet have been just as much encouragement through this craziness we call social media. And the even smaller group of folks that -- despite its size -- spans the globe and "gets" me. They appreciate and encourage what most folks don't understand.

All that said, as you all know, I've been working at Buffalo Wild Wings, waiting tables since the first of September. I am happier than I've been in a long time: I look forward to going to work every day, I'm happy when I'm there, when Im not working, I'm there eating or hanging out. Instead of crying on my way to (or at) work, I'm smiling. All the time. And today, I had my first shift as a bartender! If you know me, you know it's always been on my bucket list, so tonight, I got to scratch number 22 off!

The best part of it all? After 8 hours behind the bar, I was getting ready to go home, still smiling, and I looked at my boss and said with complete sincerity: "I've had so much fun today!" That's what it's all about, folks.