What Are You Thankful for This Year?
Often it seems as if there’s no getting around bad news. Foreign conflict, crime, death and sadness dominate headlines. And with the devastation of Hurricane Sandy and continuing economic woes in the legal industry, it’s easy to dwell on the negative.
But this week, we’d like you to tell us about how you remain positive. What is it, despite any personal or professional troubles you’re having, that inspires and motivates you?
So tell us in the comments … What are you thankful for this year?
Read answers to last week’s question, “Give Us a Timeline of Your Daily Workday Routine. Is It Something You Can Handle Long-Term?”
Featured answer:
Excerpted from Busy By Choice: “It’s a busy, chaotic life. My 4 kids are 10, 8, 5 and 3 and one is mildly autistic. Some people criticize me for having such a demanding job, but I’m a single mom and I don’t have a choice but to work. And, honestly, I would work even if I had a partner that made enough for me to stay home. I get tired and sometimes I want to throw in the towel, but I love my life and my kids and my job. My house is never as perfectly clean as I would like, I don’t cook dinner as much as I would like, I don’t actually eat meals as often as I would like (the kids do, though), I don’t go to the gym as much as I want and I can’t remember what it’s like to watch an entire movie from start to finish. Sometimes my kids turn in school projects late or only half done and I’m always the mom that sends in store-bought treats for the class party. It takes constant mental energy to keep up with the needs of my autistic child and remember to talk to my oldest about her upcoming ‘transition’ to young woman, and when my 5-year-old recently broke his arm the extra trips to the orthopedic doctor almost pushed me over the edge, but broken bones heal.
“I totally empathize with the Clifford Chance associate and all the other busy working moms out there. But, I always try to remind myself that life could be much worse. If I didn’t have my law degree and the skills and credentials for this profession, I could be working at an hourly job with no resources to pay for a nanny, soccer practice or great doctors for my son. My days are busy, my nights are often restless, but I only get one life and I have to make the best of it. “
