Last week, after sharing what I was thankful for in my work, I asked readers to do the same.  Your responses didn’t disappoint. They were thoughtful, and I appreciate each of them even if I couldn’t list them all below.

Some of you felt gratitude for the practical things, like the “scheduling flexibility” of working as a realtor.

Or “the blessedly short commute” from someone who relocated to a smaller city.

And yet another was grateful for “having the best part-time job in the world”- doing professional work they love, and still having the freedom to travel.

Other responses focused on relationships. 

Like the researcher-turned-writer who was grateful for “people I’ve met while developing my new career and the professional and personal mentorship I’ve gotten along the way.”

Another for “having the opportunity to grow professionally along with wonderful colleagues that remain friends long after the job ended.”

Yet another, a teacher, says “Our school feels like a family.”

Several of you were thankful for having the privilege to affect other people’s lives.  

Like the yoga instructor who feels gratitude at “helping change people’s lives through wellness,  showing people that breathing -while often a completely thoughtless exercise- is a tremendous source of peace”.

Or the teacher working with non-English speaking children, who is “thankful to be trusted with their education and proud to watch their transformation”.

But there was one exceptional response that’s not easily categorized.  It involves a reader who needed to spend two months with her husband while he received cancer treatment away from home.  Receiving this news, she wasn’t so much worried about keeping her job which is protected by the Family and Medical Leave Act.  Her concern was “Family Leave doesn’t pay the bills.  I needed to work”.  I’ll let her take it from here.

Then my boss suggested “can you work remotely?”  I felt like I had been given the biggest gift.  Not only could I work and receive a paycheck, but I could also keep myself busy during so much idle time while my husband was receiving his treatment.  I am blessed to have a thoughtful boss and have my work valued.”

What a wonderful example.  Thank you readers for sharing your experiences and helping the rest of us reflect on our own blessings.  And remember, it’s not enough to feel gratitude, don’t forget to show it!

© Copyright Eva Del Rio