At times you need to dig deep to find gratitude in your life
Gratitude is hard!
It's not supposed to be a "someone always has it worse than me" thing, but sometimes that's what happens. It occasionally takes a slap in your face moment to remember to be thankful for what you have. A hard slap.
Last Friday I was on a bus, heading to see an orthopedic surgeon. He specializes in shoulder injuries. We had been down this road before. I saw him earlier in the year about a painful rotator cuff injury. It was going to be either surgery or a last chance cortisone shot. I lucked out then. The injection worked. No surgery needed. No more pain....at least temporarily.
Six months later, the shoulder pain has returned. Worse than the first time. Deja vu all over again.
I was thinking about the pain, the surgery, the months of rehab and more as my bus headed downtown. The more included a lot of why me. Depression was setting in when I received my slap in the face.
Walking onto the bus was a blind man. I've seen him many times. He's regular on this bus route. He used his cane to find his seat at the front of the bus. After a few minutes, we came to train station where many of us make a transfer. It's easy for most of us. We walk about thirty feet, tap our fare card, enter the station and walk upstairs to the train. He's not most of us.
I watched the blind man try to do this. When he walked into a wall while trying to find the turnstyle, a few of his fellow passengers asked if we could help. He grabbed my arm as I led him into the station, up the escalator and inside a train car.
I sat on the train, looking at the man and started thinking about our lives. I couldn't stop wondering about how he manages to make his way in the world every day. How he gets out and leads his life, many times without anyone helping him. Yeah, my shoulder was still hurting, but I realized how much worse it could be. Then I focused on the positive. Look for the good instead of thinking it could be worse.
Today is Thanksgiving. It's more than only turkey, stuffing, football and parades. It's the day to be thankful and grateful for what you have in your life...even the little things....especially the little things. I'm sure at some point I'll be sitting around with my family, looking at my children and be beaming with gratitude. I'm also sure that at some point I'll be thinking about the man from the train. Hopefully, I'll be grateful for him as well.
I told you gratitude is hard. Happy Thanksgiving.
Related Post and to everyone who reads anything I write: On Thanksgiving, thank you for the privilege of your time
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