Team Awesome…, originally uploaded by Mad-Eye Melissa.

Population: Pretty much everyone I know.

Weird photo, right? Like, who takes a picture of a book she’s got to return to one friend from another friend? Or the CD she randomly copied for someone, because she was listening to it one night, and thought, “He would like this.”

Well. Me, obviously.

And I uploaded this, and I’m posting it here to serve as one BIG! example of grace in small things… Despite all of the head-butting we might do, despite the misunderstandings or the hurt feelings or the various “work-issue sides” we might be on at any given time — despite the fact that right now, not many of us are very happy with our sitch… My coworkers are some of the best people I know, and I’m super-lucky to spend so much time with them.

Five work-related things that I’ve been thankful for today:

1. Telling someone about my morning flop into the snow (way to have a deathlike grip or, you know, TRACTION, snow boots, thanks) and having her laugh at my retelling every bit as hard as I laughed at the original event;

2. Another coworker a) not judging me for giving a lukewarm greeting to a REALLY obnoxious customer and b) continuing on with our conversation as though my responding to an inquiry for Marley and Me with something akin to “hmph” was completely normal;

3. Hearing someone call the somewhat questionable Garden Vegetable soup “Bathwater Vegetable,” over which I will probably never stop laughing;

4. Having a solid 20 minutes to reenact other hilarious trip-and-fall moments with a coworker who’s become a great friend over the past five years…

5. …and otherwise having an hour to catch up with her, tell her a long-winded story, and have her ACTUALLY LISTEN TO THE WHOLE THING. Amazing feat on her part, believe me.

They are definitely Team Awesome, and I love their faces, I must admit. :)