In the spirit of the Thanksgiving holiday, I intended to write a blog post outlining my successes over the past year.
What was I thankful for? Initially, I planned to write about the satisfaction of starting my Master’s degree, the exciting memory of the day I bought my first car, and the triumphant feeling I experienced when I accepted my first full-time job and jump-started my professional career.
Those were the accomplishments I was feeling thankful for, until I received an overwhelming phone call last Tuesday afternoon.
They say bad luck comes in threes. That was certainly the case for me two days before Thanksgiving. After returning home from a semi-stressful day at work, I made the mistake of dropping my cell phone on the concrete step just before I walked through the front door. I had cracked my phone screen, and that intensified my sour mood.
About an hour later, my damaged phone managed to ring and I answered it to find my mom on the other end of the line. I told her about my hectic day, and paused when my mind registered the worrying news she began to share with me.
My dad was being admitted to the hospital for heart issues. I could feel hot tears begin to fill my eyes as I strained to keep my voice even over the phone. Suddenly every other concern I had felt earlier that day seemed minute in comparison to what I was just learning. I was devastated at the creeping thought that I may not get to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with my dad… my favorite farmer and my biggest role model.
An Alternative Outlook
I’m happy to report that after special care and treatment from some of the best practitioners, my dad is doing well and was able to return home the day after he was admitted. I am very thankful I was able to spend Thanksgiving with my family, and share new moments and memories with him at the table.
Feeling drained from the emotional turbulence of my dad’s hospitalization, I debated whether or not to draft this post. In the end, I decided to continue on to express a major revision I made not only to this blog post, but to my personal perception of what distinguishes a record year.
While it’s true I had many accomplishments to be proud of this past year, nothing holds a candle to the sentiment of sharing those successes with my loved ones. Without my friends and family by my side, none of my achievements would have seemed as special or felt as memorable.
Because behind the scenes of my record year – starting my Master’s degree, purchasing my first car, and jump-starting my professional career – there was my dad, cheering me on along the way. And that’s something I’ll always be thankful for.