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Grateful for Work

 by Jeanette R. Harrison, MPH

It’s Friday night—or rather, the early hours of Saturday morning—and tonight’s gratitude practice is about being grateful for work. I was supposed to write this post yesterday, but I took the day off. I could have written it this morning, but I didn’t feel like it then, either. As I sat at work today, I asked myself, “What is my issue with writing about being grateful for work?” The truth is, it’s an emotionally charged topic for me—one that, like education, has often been the source of misunderstanding and even bullying from others.

Years ago, someone spread a false rumor that I didn’t work and was lazy. That lie has followed me for years. The truth is, I’ve always worked hard. I held three jobs to get through Graceland University, and  while attending the University of Nebraska–Kearney during the day worked full-time at night at a hospital as a medical transcriptionist. In graduate school, I worked as much as I could as an intern and consultant for the public health division of pediatrics. And let’s not forget—school itself is a full-time job. Especially at a program like the University of Iowa. 

After graduate school, I completed a year-long fellowship in healthcare administration—a competitive leadership program designed to train future executives, much like physicians do with medical fellowships. Despite my strong qualifications and recommendations, I didn’t land a permanent administrative role afterward. The organization experienced a board takeover. Years of being told I wasn’t good enough had worn down my confidence, and even though I had the skills, that lack of self-assurance showed in interviews.

I'm out showing myself some love.
I stopped by a favorite watering hole after work
to celebrate being featured in Bold Journey magazine.

When I moved to Kansas City, I was optimistic. I thought it would be full of opportunity and that people I knew from college would be supportive. Instead, I had to work at Walmart as a cashier and take low-paying temp jobs just to survive. When I finally got hired at an inner-city hospital, people from my church and college told me that’s “where I belonged.” It wasn’t meant as a compliment or a congratulatory statement 

Later, I entered a relationship where my partner and others around me actively worked to make sure I didn’t “outgrow” them. I was emotionally abused until I was earning as little as someone with far less education and opportunity. The unspoken message was that I shouldn’t think I was better than anyone else, and to make sure of that, they tried to hold me down financially and professionally. That kind of behavior isn’t just hurtful—it’s emotional and financial abuse. It’s the deliberate act of making someone feel unworthy of the success they’ve earned, of controlling their stability by convincing them they don’t deserve more.

I was told repeatedly that my education didn’t matter, that I couldn’t handle leadership roles, and that my teaching as an adjunct professor “didn’t count” because it wasn’t full-time. Even when I contributed to creating courses, some people valued the opinion of others with less experience over mine. As time went on, that kind of devaluation chips away at your sense of worth and identity.

And it’s not just emotional—it’s financial abuse, too. When you’re constantly pushed toward entry-level or underpaid work despite advanced qualifications, you’re being denied fair access to stability, advancement, and independence. Telling someone with an advanced degree or years of experience to “just take an entry-level job” may seem practical to some, but it’s actually a form of dismissal and control. It devalues the person’s expertise, undermines their professional identity, and can trap them in a cycle of economic dependence and frustration.

Meanwhile, I watched as my ex, who didn’t have a high school diploma, was promoted into management roles while I was left behind and told my contributions didn’t matter. My salary was cut in half within a year, and it kept going down until I had almost nothing left. When I came to Idaho, my first year I barely made $5,000. That’s not failure—that’s the impact of years of emotional manipulation and systemic dismissal of hard-earned credentials.

Today, I work in an entry-level clinic position. It’s humbling, and sometimes it’s hard not to feel frustrated when recruiters overlook decades of experience and advanced education, or tell me, “It only matters what you’ve done in Idaho.” But I’ve learned that my worth doesn’t depend on job titles or other people’s approval.

Because despite everything, I’ve built something of my own. My writing, my books, my courses, and my business—those are the products of persistence, courage, and purpose. They’re not hobbies. They’re meaningful work, even if others don’t see it that way.

So yes, I am grateful for my work. I’m grateful for the strength it’s taken to keep going, and for the chance to use my skills to help others. I’m grateful that I had the determination to create my own path, even when the world tried to box me into something smaller.

One of my career goals was to be the CEO of a healthcare organization. I still remember a classmate teasing me in graduate school, saying, “Jeanette wanted to be the President of a Club, so she started her own.” In a way, that’s true—I wanted to be a CEO, so I built my own organization. And it is work—real work.

The Best Thing That Happened to Me Today

  1. Because of my day job, I was able to take myself out for dinner and celebrate being featured in Bold Journey magazine.

10 Ways I Am Grateful for Work

  1. I am grateful that as I arrived at work today, a coworker was wiping down my desk to prevent the spread of germs.

  2. I am grateful that the people I work with are pleasant to be around.

  3. I am grateful that even in my day job, I can help people live healthier, better-quality lives.

  4. I am grateful for the social perks of my day job—because of it, I don’t have to spend every holiday alone.

  5. I am thankful that I can set measurable, realistic, and timely goals for myself and achieve them.

  6. I am grateful for the equipment I have to do my work—both for my job and my own projects.

  7. I am incredibly grateful for all the free training I’ve received throughout my career.

  8. I am grateful for technology, which makes writing this post much easier than doing it by hand.

  9. I am grateful for all the people I interact with who help and support my business.

  10. I am grateful for platforms that allow me to share my work with a wide audience.

Ten Things I Am Grateful for Today

  1. I am grateful that I can have part of my groceries delivered to my home.

  2. I am grateful to wake up and come home to my sweet dog, Mosie.

  3. I am grateful that I didn’t have much joint pain today.

  4. I am grateful for people who recognize me in public and stop to talk.

  5. I am grateful for the fresh water we have to drink.

  6. I am grateful for the technology on my phone that lets me do so much from a small device.

  7. I am grateful for my warm socks keeping my feet cozy.

  8. I am grateful for my soft pillow that I’ll lay my head on soon.

  9. I am grateful for my warm blankets that help me sleep well.

  10. I am grateful for the heater humming in the background, keeping my home warm.

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