I opened my eyes this morning.
For that I am lucky. Some people will not do so.
I need to remember that.
I rolled out of bed, tired from a long night of a barking dog, children filled with dreams and a husband who’s not feeling well.
For that I am lucky. Some people are lonely with an empty house and no one to keep them up at night.
I need to remember that.
I threw on my robe, stepped into my slippers and trudged downstairs like a robot on autopilot doing the same morning routine I always do; making breakfast, packing lunches, dressing the kids, brushing teeth, feeding the dog and flipping on the radio to hear what’s happening in the world while I dance around the kitchen to the current hits and sing off key while I complete these daily tasks.
For that I am lucky. Some people no longer have the ability to walk, dance around the kitchen or trudge down the stairs. Some people don’t have the use of their hands to brush hair, stir oatmeal or pat their dog. Some people can’t hear music or the morning chaos of a busy house.
I need to remember that.
So often we get caught up in the blur, repetition and monotony of our daily lives that we fail to appreciate all of the little things.
The blessings, some call them.
The little things that surround us that we don’t realize or appreciate until they are taken away.
In the two-year pause of the pandemic, so much was taken away. It feels like an instant and a lifetime ago all at the same time.
I really hoped we would come out of it feeling blessed and lucky; taking time to appreciate all that we have and acknowledge how lucky we are.
But I feel we forget.
The world seems to still get dark, where some people are quick to judge, point fingers and focus blame.
They forget.
They forget that one year from now, one month from now, one week from now, one day from now, one minute from now, one moment from now… everything could change.
Everything.
But they forget.
A friend of mine walked her dog and in an instant lost half her finger while trying to protect it from another dog that attacked hers.
In an instant, everything changed.
Another friend of mine was given the news of a cancer diagnosis in her dad and now their dates together are in the hospital living on hope and a prayer.
In weeks, everything changed.
Another friend of mine just birthed her first, beautiful baby boy in her 40s, not ever thinking that this dream of becoming a mother and raising a family of her own would ever come true.
But now, her life ahead is filled with someone else and for all the years to come, everything has changed.
In a blink life passes by and in a blink, everything changes.
We can’t control it.
We can’t rewrite the stars, but we can rewrite our stories.
For our lives are all filled with chapters and when one finishes a new one begins.
As I’ve said before and I say often, the best part of hitting rock bottom is that there is nowhere to go but up.
You can only fill an empty glass from the bottom… always.
And by filling our cups it means changing our perspective.
Looking at things differently.
Looking inward.
Looking forward and looking back.
If you don’t like something, change it.
You can control that.
If you want something, go after it.
You can control that.
So much we can’t control, but our perspective we can.
Year by year.
Month by month.
Week by week.
Day by day.
Moment by moment.
Rewrite your story before it’s too late.
We’ve got this!
@half_full_most_days