these are the things that i am thankful for today:

1 - my pharmacist. she's the top of the list because she's the one that got me thinking about the list in the first place. this woman knows my name, can look me up on the computer when she sees me without asking for my birthdate or anything, and knows which of my two insurances cover which prescriptions (which i myself don't know sometimes). when i order syringes, she gets in two boxes because it's not something they usually carry and that way the next time i come she will have one available for me. oh! and she writes my name all over the second box so that the other pharmacists won't give it to someone else in the interim! according to one of them: "she threatened us! we aren't even allowed to touch that box!"

it has taken fourteen years and countless pharmacists, but this one is a treasure. now if i could only find a doctor like that...

2 - my job. today i told a story to my preschoolers about the time when my boss was little and her monkey (she had a pet monkey) escaped and ran up a tree. they loved it - especially the part where the policeman climbs the tree to get the monkey down. yesterday, with the afterschool kids, we made dirt cake (complete with gummi worms!) out of oreos and used plastice flowers. they loved it - especially when one of the little girls scared the clerks into thinking she was eating a potted plant. and i thought: right. this is why i do this job. :-)

3 - my husband. he washes dishes all day and then comes to wash the dinner dishes at home. he supports me stage managing till all hours of the night and all levels of stress. and now that my library is going to open on sundays (argh!!), he wants to know if he can come volunteer here when i'm working. all that and he's cute too - yeah, i'm a lucky girl.

4 - the grocery store around the corner from the library. it has not only provided me with lunch on several occasions, but the cashiers now all know that i work in the library and that if i'm buying four of something it's probably for a project. "what are you making today?" they ask. playdough. gingerbread houses. dirt cake. of course, yesterday i went to the register with some yogurt, some applesauce and a diet snapple. "what are making with this?" she asked. "my lunch," i told her. so not every day is as exciting as the last.

5 - the subway. i like reading the paper in the morning on the way to work. i know mark twain (?) said that those who don't read the news are uninformed and those that do are misinformed, but at least i know the major players about whom i will be misinformed. something about iowa primary? something about dog-fighting and some football guy? some pop star is on drugs again? eh. at least i'm rattling towards my destination while filling my head with random headlines. and i thought i'd sneak that subway one in now because very soon they are going to start working on my subway line and i'll have to take shuttle buses. NOT looking forward to that.

6 - my cats. who are always good for doing something cute, being soft and furry, and making me smile.