Grouchy Lainie

“Hey Lainie,” Dawn said cheerfully as she caught up with her best friend for their walk to school.

“What are you so happy about?” Elaine replied grumpily.

“Uh oh, someone got up on the wrong side of the bed,” Dawn teased. “Girl, it’s a New Year, in a few months we’ll be graduating, I thought you’d have a smile on your face every day until then.”

“I just didn’t feel like getting out of bed this morning. Do you know how cold it is? It’s inhumane to expect anyone to be out in this. Besides, what are you so happy about?”

“Nothing really, I’m just choosing to be thankful and happy.”

“Really?”

“Uh hmm, Last year I remember one of my “facebook friend’s” did a weekly Thankful Thursday list and tried to get everyone to join in. A lot of other people joined in every Thursday and listed what they were thankful for.”

“Did you?” Elaine asked.

“Nope, you know me, I hate making lists. But reading some of the lists other people wrote inspired me so much I decided this year I would like to try to focus more on the things I’m thankful for. So, I’m just practicing being thankful every day.”

“Sounds like a lot of work to me. What can you find to be thankful for every single day?” Elaine asked.

Sure seems like you can use that today,” Dawn teased. “I can think of ten things right off the top of my head Dawn said,” starting with my mom’s cancer being in remission, that fact that I have only a few months left in high school, my grades being good enough to make the honor roll…

“I guess I can probably think of a few things too Elaine said. But I still don’t feel like it.”
"How about we make a pact to help each other be more thankful this year?” Dawn suggested.

“Sure, I guess we can give it a try” Elaine answered.

“Whenever one of us forgets to be thankful the other says, T squared.”

“T squared?” Elaine said questioningly.

“Thankful Thursday or if it’s not Thursday, Thankful Today,” Dawn replied.

“I like that,” Elaine said, “sort of like a secret code.”

“Uh hmm,” Dawn said then continued, “Lainie…”

“Yeah?”

“T squared”

“Hey no fair,” Lainie laughed. “You didn’t say we were starting right now. But anyway Dawn, I’m thankful for having a friend like you, who sticks with me even when I’m in a grouchy mood.”

See that wasn’t so hard Dawn said, and I’m thankful for a friend like you too. Now let’s speed up before we freeze our, you know what off.”

The two girls continued walking, laughing and talking the entire way.



This was written originally for Thankful Thursday but I rewrote it for Girl Talk Magazine