“Give thanks oh Thou, who has given us so much.  Mercifully grant us one more thing ~ a grateful heart.”

-George Herbert  (read more as one pediatrician reflects hourly on things for which she’s grateful.)

A reflection for each hour on Thanksgiving.  THINGS FOR WHICH I AM GRATEFUL:

1. For being a pediatrician. Because, as one of my favorite patients reminds me, I get to eat lollipops ANY time I want.
2. For the DrDownload Blog and having the time, the desire, and the spell checker to convey great ideas to more people than I could ever reach in my exam rooms.
3. For truly believing that we change the world by what we teach our children. I teach them that health matters.
4. For the kind of practice that lets me spend however much time I want to spend caring for my patients (…and their wonderful parents.)
5. For Boogie Wipes and moisturizing hand sanitizer. Everybody needs soft hands and a clean nose.
6. For Purple & Green in a beautiful new round office. Because it’s good to work in a place that feels comfortable and collaborative and and fun for kids.
7. For Kid-selfies on my practice Facebook Page. Because we all have a story to tell.
8. For a long career with Tammy Myers who has the patience of a saint when it comes to all the things I start and need to finish… who signs beautifully and gives the best shots ever.
9. For my endless pursuit of a Firefly/TycoCare thing-ey so that one day the mammas can see what I see down in the ear.
10. For carrots with ‘Goodness Circles’ inside them. If you haven’t had one yet… they’re as good as a lollipop. Maybe better.
11. For Buzzy. Because shots shouldn’t be scary or hurt.
12. For touchscreen Chromebooks and electronic prescribing. So that our EMR can be good for something.
13. For a water cooler in the breakroom that also makes Starbucks coffee.
14. For our office FitBits, an Aria scale, and the Work Week Hustle. One of these weeks I’m going to win!
15. For the chance to work again with the healthcare genius of Kim Spiller.
16. For polka dots and bubble sheets. I’m still enamored with the designs of Lisa Moroni-Hall all the ways she helps me teach.
17. For a new logo that reminds me of the high-five partnership. One thing I know for sure: the best healthcare arises from relationship and trust.
18. For organic diapers and probiotics and all the freebies I get to share with my patients. Thank you sampling companies.
19. For too-many-to-name subspecialists who help me take care of my patients. We don’t have a children’s hospital, but we have each other.
20. For a learning library corner instead of a waiting room. Because time is the most precious thing we have some days, I don’t waste anybody’s.
21. For the tech-savvy brilliance of Kate Semp. Because our message won’t reach the people who need to hear it without your gifts.
22. For the OBs who bring these beautiful babies into the world and into my life. Cherubs, one and all.
23. For my friends at the AAP. You help me be a better doctor than I could ever be in a silo all by myself.
24. For my own five children. Because you all made me an infinitely better pediatrician than I was the day I finished medical school.

For what are you grateful?

~Gayle Schrier Smith, MD

November, 2015