Giving Thanks

My job keeps reminding me of how fragile life is. One minute you can be going about your business, next minute you're dead, or someone you love is dead, or dying, or has had their life turned upside down because of an accident or a stroke or something. I keep getting reminded of how important it is to live with the awareness that each day could be your last, and to be prepared for death or disability.

Today we went to see "The Little Match Girl", performed by the dance/drama juniors of Ingvild's High School. It is a heart-breaking story, of indifference, self-service, peer-pressure, the turning from need with the excuse that others surely will care for the needy. Ingvild danced in the performance: the waiter bringing in the roast with a gleefull grin, and the snow falling on the dead matchgirl...

Audun and Irene came to watch the performance as well. Afterward we had our thanksgiving dinner: turkey with stuffing, gravy, corn og the cob, baked sweet potatoes, waldorf salad, brokkoli and brusselsprouts steamed in butter, and cranberry relish. Cranberries were hard to get this year. My regular supermarket couldn't get them, but there's this ethnic store, run by a turkish family, where I go to get Tofu, halva, real greek feta made of goat and sheeps milk, haloumi etc, and they ordered them special for me. For desert we had pumkin chiffon pie and apple pie.

We talked about what we were thankfull for: Husband for his new job, which has made it possible to cut back on his medication. Irene for breaking up with Stian, and finding such a good friend in her new living situation. Ingvild for her Columbian boyfriend, and her job which she loves, we are all thankfull that Father is doing so well, and that Tormod finally got his drivers licence and has made a life for himself in the US. And the kids were thankful that their Father got better after his heart attack. Audun didn't say much about what he is thankful for, but seems to be pretty happy with his life, his job, new girlfriend, red cross youth, and has just aquired yet another elektronic toy: an I-phone. For myself, I am thankful for all of the above and also for the opportunity to start my anesthesiology training in january.