Just in time for leftovers. Creative Commons photo by elana's pantry on Flickr.
In the spirit of both Thanksgiving and procrastination, I am writing a day late about how thankful I am for my life.
This year has been amazing, tough, trying and quick. I left an amazing newsroom to return to school and to be a part of shaping the future of news. Nearly a year later, none of us have figured out exactly how print news and the web are going to coexist, but I think, as an industry, we’re coming closer to a solution. In one year, I’ve seen Twitter grow from a site people scoffed at to one that is becoming an increasingly important and talked-about tool. I’ve seen people meaningfully engaged in any way possible, from meetups to live blogs to tweet chats, trying to “save journalism.” I’ve seen Internet startups galore. I’ve seen the term “reporter” hyphenated into “reporter-blogger” in the span of months — our world is changing almost day-to-day, and in the end, I feel lucky to be a student of the change, someone who has the luxury of experimenting and finding the right questions to ask. I’ve been fortunate enough to be around some of the smartest people I’ve ever met, whether I’m sitting next to them in class or listening to them lecture — in many ways, the opportunity to pick a great teacher’s brain has been worth everything it took to get here.
Meaning more to me than work or school are my family and friends. I have moved twice this year, from Indiana to Chicago and from Chicago to Washington, DC. In a few weeks, I’ll be picking up and moving again. And all the while, I’ve been able to rely on family and friends to help ease the stress that comes with leading a nomadic lifestyle. Trust me when I say it’s a different breed of gratitude entirely when people dear to you are lugging furniture, or steering U-Hauls, or simply sitting on your bed watching you unpack. And for as imperfect and hectic as family life can get, I’m thankful I have parents who believe in me, ground me and still make it possible for me to chase my dreams. All in all, I’m thankful to have people in my life who make life easier just by being there and listening, or somehow knowing to call in those moments when I feel most afraid, or just by showing me in really simple ways that they’re out there, on my side and rooting for me. If you’re reading this, there’s a chance you are one of those people. So, thank you so much for what has ended up being the most important, crazy and colorful year of my life.
Katie
