Ponder this:

Friday, December 30, 2011

Counting blessings

My coworker's brother has MRSA. It's a horrible horrible illness, causes pain that's off the charts. The patient is receiving a cocktail of antibiotics, his sight might be coming back slowly . . . and so the family waits to see how the recovery will proceed. 
Or not.
Yesterday, Alan said to me, "It's a lesson: Don't sweat the small stuff. And it's all small stuff."


I woke up this morning thinking, "Only three hours of work today and then another long weekend. Then I thought about Alan's brother, and my viewpoint changed. The three hours of work became a little piece of my life instead of a whole hunk of my day that I just had to live/suffer through before I could resume what I want to do when I want to do it. 
I have a little pain . . . my back is stiff . . . but boy! Compared to the pain some people deal with, I'm kickin' up my heels.


There's no doubt that today I am aging, but I sure am more grateful than I was yesterday.

18 comments:

Falcondawn said...

Hello June,

glad to read always your Blog. Keep on, live and love.

Yours sincerely

Falcondawn

esbboston said...

I am glad most aging seems to feel or take place in one day chunks of time.

Olga said...

Perspective. We all need a little of that. Enjoy the long weekend and Happy New Year.

DJan said...

You said it well. It's been hard for me to deal with the theft of my purse and the feeling of violation, but I think of people like your coworker's brother. I do so hope he will recover.

When I thought of my loss, I then read in the paper about a family who had a Christmas Eve fire that took the lives of their two children and their parents. How does anybody recover from something like that? I can barely comprehend it. So yes, it's all perspective.

Mac n' Janet said...

Ain't that the truth! I have a younger sister who is chronically ill and each day when I have a twinge of this or that I thank God for my good health

schmidleysscribblins,wordpress.com said...

Indeed. Sometimes other people's pain makes you rethink your own small pains. MRSA is certainly one of them. Good post and Happy New Year. Dianne

Lord Wellbourne said...

Perspective and balance....I often echo Alan's observation about the small stuff. Compassion for others and for one's own self is the great leveler.

Rubye Jack said...

Thanks for this reminder to be grateful as I so often forget how lucky I am in life.

Sally Wessely said...

This was a great reminder that I would like to carry with me throughout the new year.

Linda Myers said...

Every time I sit in a mediation between divorcing parents trying to make a plan for their children - and still so angry with each other their main goal is to hurt the parent rather than look out for the kids - I come home grateful for my own life.

SmitoniusAndSonata said...

Luckily most of us will only experience "the small stuff" for most of our lives .
The courage and endurance needed by this man and his family is hard to imagine . I wish them well .

Morning Bray Farm said...

Well said. Happy New Year, June.

Carolynn Anctil said...

There always seems to be someone who is worse off than we are, to illustrate how truly blessed we are. May Alan find some measure of peace and comfort.

georgia little pea said...

ephipanies and lucid moments are what i live for. we're always better or worse off than many other people. however, as a grumpy old person, i love sweating the small stuff.

i had a thought today that while i may be over the hill now, running down the hill is a lot more fun than slogging up it. don't you think? :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR June and 4-leggeds! Good health to you all x

Anonymous said...

One has to really be grateful for one's health in a new york minute it could be gone..so I count my blessings daily and thank god for being alive to even endure the pain of this and that, heh I am alive and that is great..Happy Happy New Year..it is dry, cool and windy here, rain coming in and moss growing so thick I could draw pictures in it on our patio..our kitty cats had a nice new year, My beloved Husband is feeling better this morning his back is gone from over 40 years working in the retail grocery business, still married and happy and alive, for that I thank god and a life force not to be taken down..we even will see our only child soon and have our holiday celebration then, life is just about plum perfect, I think a life of peacefullness, service to others who suffer, gratitude makes one so so happy, this is just my humble opinion, why not make others happy and enjoy human, feline, canine and elder life too?!!!! It makes me as the old 60's song says feeling groovy!!!!!!!!!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!!!!!!!!!!

Barb said...

It was so good to read your post on this first day of 2012 and focus on what's really important. Thanks for the reminder! I've missed you on my self-enforced "break."

Tom said...

Amen. I think by the time we get to our age, we know we're lucky to be alive, and even luckier if we're healthy. I hope your coworker gets better, and soon.

Joe Todd said...

Attitude of Gratitude all we have is today. Hope you are having a great holiday