A friend of mine recently shared with me that the Thanksgiving program at work is always very difficult for her, and she has to fight back tears through it.
Although I understood it, I couldn’t relate…so I thought. I realized this morning that I felt much the same way this time last year as I do right now, after the program ended. My reasons aren’t as profound. I think I just figured out that it’s because while the program is over for everyone and they’re ready to officially enjoy the break, it’s not over for me. I’m waiting for the video to import as I type this, and I have quite a bit of editing to do before I post it on the website. (However, I am thankful to my co-worker who actually filmed it for me, just to give me a break!) Fortunately, I have lunch with friends to look forward to. But the extreme happiness and noise in the hallways before and after the program, followed by the deafening silence less than 20 minutes later, after parents have whisked their children away and teachers are hot on their heels ready to peel out of the parking lot, is…I can’t quite explain it. Somber?
Who knows? Maybe I’m just incredibly sleep-deprived from literally tossing and turning all night.
But despite my weird mood right now, I was struck by a quote I heard at the end of this morning’s program:
The key to Thanksgiving is perspective.
When I heard this, I immediately thought of an email I received yesterday from a co-worker who was in a bad car accident a little over two weeks ago. “Hard to believe that two weeks ago I was training for a half marathon, and today enjoyed wheelchair yoga!!” That really resonated with me. Life can literally change in a split second, and I’m thankful for every moment…even these weird ones.