It's the time of year when an abundance of people in my facebook newsfeed are posting daily updates on what they are thankful for. Though I try to avoid facebook trends, I have nothing against it, and in fact, it has given me pause for thought about what makes me thankful.
It is also the time of year when everyone around here has been ill with one thing or another. One of my colleagues K has not only fought illness herself, but she has had to contend with the sickness of several children... dragging kids to the doctor, having to leave work early to pick up sick kids from school, missing work herself, and on and on it goes.
I finally lost my battle with one of the bugs going around. I was never quite sick enough to stay home from work, but it did take all the strength I could muster to get through the day and then drag myself home to collapse into bed. Each day for several days, as I allowed myself to rest and recuperate, I thought about how fortunate I was to simply be able to do so. I considered how different my situation was from K's, and all I could think was, "Thank God I don't have kids." When my husband fell sick, I could leave him at home to take care of himself so that I did not fall behind at work.
So while I won't post it on facebook (no need to open myself to the negativity that would undoubtedly ensue), I can share with you here: today I am thankful that I don't have children... that I want to not have children... and that I have the freedom and the capability to make the choice not to have children.
