Happy Thanksgiving

Gregg Lombardi - Executive Director

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. There’s pretty much no pretense or commercialization to it. It’s a great time to relax with family or friends and test out your talents in the kitchen. I also like to take some time during the holiday to think about all of the things I have to be thankful for.

In these times of partisan bickering, it’s easy to lose track of the fact that, even after the economic downturn, we as Americans in the 21st century are among the wealthiest and most fortunate people to have ever walked the planet (although we are sometimes not all that great about sharing that wealth among ourselves). Things that we take for granted, including a warm, dry place to sleep at night, aisle after aisle of food in the grocery store, abundant clean water and indoor plumbing remain luxuries for many. I am thankful for those things.

I am also thankful for the opportunity to work at a great organization with lots of wonderful staff members. And most of all, I am thankful for my wife and two sons, each of whom bring tremendous joy into my life.

I find that when I take the time to think about these simple joys in my life, it makes me appreciate them all the more. It’s an exercise that I would recommend to anyone. With that, I wish you and yours a wonderful Thanksgiving.

A journey of a 1,000 miles begins with a single step.

Gregg Lombardi - Executive Director

Today marks the start of the Legal Aid Wellness Committee’s Million Step Challenge and I’m psyched.

The committee has challenged Legal Aid’s staff to walk one million steps between today and the end of March. That translates into about 500 total miles or 3 miles per day. The committee has also created alternative exercise options so as many staff members as possible can participate. It’s an intimidating challenge, but I’m very pleased that nearly a third of our staff has taken it on.

I myself am just back from my first 2,500 steps. I know that trying to keep up with a 3 mile per day pace is going to be tough, but I also know from my past experience with exercise, it’s going to be well worth it. When I make myself take time to exercise, I find that, not only am I healthier, but I also find that I have a lot more energy and just feel better about the world.

Swimming is my exercise of choice and there have been lots of days, especially when it’s cold outside, that I’ve gotten to the pool at 7:00 at night, dead tired wondering if I could make it even a hundred yards. By the time I get out of the pool, however, I feel like a new person. Walking also has the added benefit of being an excellent opportunity to socialize with friends, co-workers and loved ones.

So, I’ve got 997,500 steps to go and I’m going to do my best to enjoy every one of them. Many thanks to the committee for giving us this challenge.

--Gregg

PS Below you will find a picture of one of my favorite walking partners.