I’m grateful for my job. On the same day I was hired for this position, my best friend was laid-off from his. In this economy, it took him nearly a year to find work. Even though I grumble and complain about the state of education and the downward spiraling of student apathy, I am grateful for the position. My child support is paid in full every month, my children have health insurance, and I have enough left over to survive on for the month. Things could be much, much, much worse for me. So I’m thankful for my position at the college.
I’m also grateful for the opportunity to pass along knowledge. There are still a handful of students who care about learning, and I still enjoy engaging those students and watching them get it. I enjoy seeing the single mothers gain self-confidence and the young men who hid in their shells during high school slowly crawl out and find their voices. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve these students and hopefully bring out of them something they didn’t know they had. That aspect of the job is still gratifying and fulfilling. I am thankful that through education my life has been about more than self-gratification and that my value as a human being is higher than my net worth on a spreadsheet. I’m thankful that I have given something back to my society.
Big Owl's Tree 