the first

In lieu of November and with the onset of Thanksgiving, I would like to blog each day about something or someone I am thankful for. 'Tis the season...

November 1st

I work until 7 pm and our contracted night maintenance staff starts cleaning the building around 6 pm. I'm usually in my office inputting case notes or responding to emails so I regularly interact with one particular worker named Ronnie. Ronnie is a talkative, TALKATIVE, talkative man. But he has the best intentions and an extremely caring heart. Since moving to my new office location I've been privy to some of his interesting conversation pieces as he always stops to chat each time he passes my door. Yesterday Ronnie proceeded to tell me about his food intake for the day. He indulged in a double whopper, two orders of nuggets, a value onion ring, a chocolate sundae with extra chocolate and, of course, a Coke Zero. We both sarcastically laughed at how all the calories must have magically balanced out with that diet drink. Today Ronnie shared that his priority in life by working so hard and as often as possible was to make sure his two daughters didn't have any debt once they graduated from college; he has one daughter at A&M now and another daughter entering UT next year. And I just sit there in my office chair torn between a) wanting to get back to work as quickly as possible wishing this man would just do his job and leave me alone and b) feeling as if in some unknown way his gift is to encourage and brighten a person's day by taking time out of his job routine and partaking in conversation. He always asks how I'm doing and I respond in some terse "I'm fine" or "Doing okay" and when asked in return how he's doing he never fails in saying, "Every day is a good day, Miss Laura." What optimism.

I'm thankful for Ronnie's never ending conversations and ability to make me remember there is more to a day than just fulfilling occupational duties.