daniel prazer

My good friend Cheryl Heckler has a saying that she often puts on her Facebook page: “Gratitude. Graditude.” Usually, it involves the small things in life, and she’s one of the kindest, most wonderful people I’ve ever had the chance to meet.

Her mantra comes to mind every morning when I’m waiting for the bus to work.

You see, every morning, I walk a few blocks to the corner of Campbell and Lawrence Avenues to catch the 81 bus to the Red Line on my way to work at Fisheye Graphic Services. The last bus I can catch and make it to work on time comes around 8:25. Across Lawrence Avenue, every morning, there’s a line of people standing outside a nondescript building, the only hint of its contents is a small sign that says “Illinois Department of Employment Security.”

This office opens at 8:30 a.m., and today, I saw a line of at least thirty people, some holding umbrellas to shelter themselves from the late summer heat. They have it hard, as do millions of other Americans.

But seeing this, I can’t help but feel incredibly thankful for my job—my new job; I’ve only been there since the beginning of July, and I can honestly say I love going to work every morning. I get to use my design experience, my ability to put out fires as they come up, and I get to smell printing ink again, like I did when I was a reporter at the Chillicothe Gazette. I’m incredibly fortunate, and each morning, I’m reminded of that.

So to quote Cheryl, “Gratitude. Gratitude.”