Top Ten: This morning's Thankful List.

Ten things I am thinking about and feeling thankful for this morning--some deep and others, not so much.

10.  These two dudes

Spoke with my friend Christina P. the other day. She just had a baby a few months ago and she said, "I wanted so badly to be a mom. I had no idea I was capable of such love." Then she said, "I remember something you said about being a mom. You said, 'It's the only thing you've ever deeply wanted that turned out to be even better than you thought once you got it.'"

Yes. Yes. And yes.

9.  This bag my mom let me borrow.

It's a great bag, I tell you. It also makes me think of my mom every time I carry it.

"That bag is so cute, Tounces!" I said to my mom. (Tounces is yet another name I call her.)

"It is cute!" she replied.

"Don't you want to let me carry it?" I asked her with a dorky smile.

"Sure. You can."

That was that. And no, it wasn't a bag she grabbed off of a Walmart shelf. It's a good, sturdy leather bag that she paid good money for. And that she then let her daughter carry.

8.  Nice people.

Yesterday when I went to pick up Zachary from school, I stopped in the office to chat with Coach B. who helps run after school care. Every single time I see her, she makes me feel glad that I did. On this day, I asked her about her daughter who happens to be a Grady nurse.

"She's getting married!" she gushed.

So next, I asked all about the wedding plans and loved hearing all about the joyful whirlwind sweeping up her family. I love asking about her daughter because she speaks of her so lovingly. Hearing about her daughter getting married was even better.

Also.

One day I got stuck in twenty tons of wretched traffic on the way to after school care. I am never (okay rarely) late getting the kids, but on this day I was. And by a rather substantial amount--like twenty five minutes. When I walked in panting and fretting, I found Coach B. sitting on a chair calmly reading a book to Zachary. I profusely apologized and prepared to pay the late fee.

"That's okay," she said. "Don't worry about it."

And that was it. No pomp. No circumstance. Just a random act of kindness.

Man. I deeply appreciated that. I think I told her before. I hope I did. Because she was the bright spot in what had really been a crappy evening.

7.  My sun room.

It's a great room for teaching. And just for living.

6.  Laughing with my Dad over the phone.

My dad tells the best jokes ever. No one tells a story like he does. And he's just so damn funny sometimes. I love our chats.

5.  Smartphones.

My friend Mary Jo sent me a picture she'd taken of a rash on one of her kids. Then we had a big discussion over text message about it. It was fabulously nerdy and  I can't wait to see another picture today.

I asked my friend Carlos D. a question about syphilis in HIV over a text on Friday. He quickly responded with all kinds of good nuggets of wisdom. One time, he texted me back from the dais at the AIDS VACCINE International meeting!

I also looked up a recipe in the kitchen on my iPhone yesterday, too.

4.  Good friends.

I have some very good friends. I really, really do. My husband has an amazing set of close friends and now that I think of it, my kids have really good friends, too. It's good to have good friends. I'm thankful for that.

3.  This lady right here.

This is Sakinah. I met her the first week that I moved to Atlanta after someone referred me to her. I had just cut ALL of my hair off before moving to Atlanta from Cleveland and she became my stylist.

She is simply THE BEST.  I mean it. I fall asleep in her chair while she's cutting my hair because I trust her so much. She cuts my hair every two weeks and has for ten years. She made me feel beautiful on my wedding day and treats every time like it's a big occasion.

And. I have never once been disappointed. I am so thankful for her.

Oh--and on top of that? She's really cool and very wise.

2.  An excellent resident on wards this month.

My resident this month is Adaeze A.  She is wonderful and smart and responsible and mature. I was her very first attending on her very first ward month as an intern. And now I get the honor of being her very last attending on her very last ward month as a senior resident. What a joy!

Yesterday, it was just the two of us. Me and my nearly fully-bona fide fellow Grady doctor. And so. We took great care of patients together while enjoying leisurely rounds that felt more like girlfriend time than work. Our joke is that when we work together we discuss the following:

Heart failure -- and hair care.
Relationships -- and reticulocytosis.
Pneumonia -- and new shoes.
Marriage -- and multiple myeloma.

(You get the picture.)

Best of all? I trust her. There is no higher compliment that you can pay your resident.

1.  This dude right here. (Of course.)

He's hot. He's responsible. He's loyal. And he grills. What more could a woman ask for?

***

Bonus: Cafe y cilantro.

My breakfast this morning. Eggs over hard plus La Fonda salsa. Yes, again.

Happy Tuesday.

Now playing on my mental iPod. . . .