My favorite holiday of the year is Thanksgiving. It reminds people of the key to happiness: being grateful and appreciative of the good people and good things in our lives. Although I pondered doing another clickbaity* post about 10 Great Thanksgiving Startups or 38 Nonprofits to be Thankful for this Year, in the end I’ve decided to talk a little bit about what I’m grateful for in my life.
Almost time to talk turkey!
Actual photo of my three brothers expressing concern for my welfare.
This year has been one of enormous change and transition for me and our family. A year ago I had left an employer I’d been with for almost 16 years and that provided me with wonderful support to learn, grow, and make an impact on the world. My next career phase is much more adventurous, building a new law practice by myself. But what I’ve found is that I’m not at all by myself, even if the view from my seat can feel lonely at times. My wife and kids have been incredibly supportive, in ways that I’ll never be able to articulate. My mother and brothers (and families) have been wonderful, checking in sincerely quite often to find out how I’m really doing. Friends have reached out from near and far, and some have even become clients, a remarkable and sincere vote of confidence in the work I’m doing. And the community has embraced my involvement and encouraged me to do more, giving me the opportunity to serve as a volunteer and board member for some amazing initiatives.
I keep telling people that I can’t see around corners, and that remains true. But now that I have a few months of legal work behind me, I can look back and see that this path I’m on has been incredibly fulfilling. Scary at times, for sure. However, I think this path might just be a good one, setting me on a course for new levels of happiness. Sincere thanks to each of you for being a part of this journey, and I hope to stay in touch as 2019 winds down and we all look forward to a new year.
* If you still need those clickbait lists, you can find a few of them here!