Friday, April 18, 2014

The Things You Take For Granted

On my way to swim this morning, I passed a church with this sign.

image

Not the “actual” sign, but you get the idea

Being on only my first cup of coffee, it took me a minute to grasp what the sign meant.

Just that morning I felt hassled by having to drop off something at school my daughter forgot. This was after I overslept and got annoyed with my son for dripping butter all over the leather couch. I’ve had a few tough, headache-producing cases at work this week and sometimes I feel completely ineffective at everything I do.

Yet, what I realized after digesting the words on the church sign, is that all of the important things are in place in my life and I rarely stop to just revel in how grateful I really am.

I thought to myself that right now someone is:

  • Praying that their child overcomes a life threatening illness, while my kids are healthy and I forget what a blessing this is.
  • Praying that they will walk/run again after an injury, while I am training every day and have no clue how to not be able to move my body the way that I want to.
  • Praying that they can afford a place to live for their family, while I have a home and have never had to worry about where I am going to sleep at night.
  • Praying that they will get that job so they can pay the bills, while I am not worrying about having enough money this month and have never known what it is like to be truly hungry.
  • Praying that their marriage/relationship will not disintegrate, while I have been married almost 19 years and am hopeful for at least 19 more.
  • Praying that a family member will live a bit longer or get over a grudge or overcome their addiction, while my parents and brother are still healthy, active and part of my life.

And, the list goes on.

On the flip side, I am sure there are things I am hoping for that other people take for granted.

On this day, right now, I hope we can all remember and acknowledge the many gifts and blessings that we’ve got.

SUAR

29 comments:

  1. Thanks for the reminder. Sometimes it's just so easy to focus on the negatives and not all the positive things in our life.

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  2. When you work in health care, the reminders are everywhere! While I moan about my sore toe, I sat and talked with a woman who has MS and lives in a nursing home. One of the kindest, most accepting people I have ever met. Kind of put it all in perspective. Kind of.

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    1. Agreed. I am constantly reminded in the health care field of how worse off I could be. Somedays slap me right in the face and make me so thankful for my "stresses".

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  3. That really puts things into perspective. Sometimes we just need it spelled out for us! Thanks!
    My Mother is battling Multiple Myeloma which is an incurable slow progressing cancer and her perspective is...."it could be worse" amazing!

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  4. Thank you for the reminder! This is great to remember!

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  5. Great reminder -- I try to take some time every day to reflect and be grateful for all I have but it's still too easy to take a lot for granted.

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  6. Thank you for this! I have been struggling with my own set of first world problems and I needed this reminder. :-)

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  7. All good reminders, Beth. We so easily take any one of these things for granted. Sometimes at the end of the day when I can't wait for the kids to get in bed so I can have some time for myself, I have to remind myself to just breathe, let them tell me "one more thing" and give them one more hug. I will have plenty of me time at some point.

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  8. Certainly puts things in perspective. Thanks.

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  9. What a wonderful reminder! Thank you! <3

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  10. Very good reminder. I am currently in a funk about not being able to run longer distances without my IT band acting up...I should remember that for many people, being able to run at all would be a miracle!

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  11. I love this post. Perfect start for my weekend to read this! Thank you!

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  12. I was thinking about something along the lines of this when I woke up this morning. A friend of mine was complaining about things she should actually be thankful for. Sometimes she needs to see the glass as half full. Sure, shitty things happen, but she should be lucky they are not life or death situations, like some people have to deal with,

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  13. Beautiful thoughts Beth, thank you....

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  14. Thank you, this week I have been so aware of all the things I have, especially a close family and friends, and support from all of them.

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  15. Always need this reminder....thanks!

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  16. Wonderful, wonderful reminder. Thank you!

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  17. Much agreed! Last May I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I'm grateful for the love of my family and friends. I'm grateful I found the lump and that I'm going to be o.k. So much to be thankful for this Easter. :)

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  18. I am one of those who worries nonstop about my son. He's 9 months old and had a liver transplant 2 months ago. I have to remember that while other people's problems and stress seem insignificant compared to what my family has been through, they are still very real to that person and I can't let that make me cold.

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  19. Such a great reminder - thanks for posting!

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  20. What a wonderful post, SUAR! I often feel guilty about taking things for granted and then am reminded about how blessed I truly am. I think we all get these 'reminders' to keep us in check.

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  21. I think about this all the time. Especially if I'm yelling at my kids or frustrated on a run or bike. I TRY to just stop and be grateful. Thanks for the reminder.

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  22. Wise words. I think sometimes we cannot see the trees for the forest. Forget the forest for the trees. We've become so used to everything in life hitting us at a 100,000 ft level, we don't stop to see each tree, each branch, the bark, the needles or leaves, and the overwhelming beauty of nature and how it all comes about.
    LIkewise, we don't see the fact that our kid made time or took time to make himself food, we see the mess left behind. We don't notice that our dog is loving us unconditionally, we see the accident they had on the floor. We don't see that we're so lucky to have people to love and who love us.
    We are truly blessed. Now, if I can recover from my pneumonia, and get back to working out, I will be happy. I've never been so sick, never been so tired, never had a fuller plate professionally or personally all while being sick. It's never ending, but I can get through this.
    Amy P. Philly runner.

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  23. I've read that being grateful for everything you have is a huge key to happiness. Lovely post to remind us.

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  24. Im trying to over come several of these issues at the moment. Coming off of a stress fracture in my ankle that has sidelined me for 2 months now. My husband lost his job a while ago and cant find work and now i've been laid off as well. We will most likely lose our house. I'm looking for a job but havent found anything yet. I have a few senior dogs and if i sell my house i hope i can find a place to live with them. They're family too. I'm trying to find things to be grateful for lately but its not easy. Hoping for a miracle right now.

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