Gratitude. There was a time in my life not that long ago when it was unbearably painful for me to stand for more than three minutes. The pain just grew with each passing second. I stopped doing all the things that I enjoyed – playing with my kids, exercising, seeing my friends, cooking and even sleeping became very difficult. I could sit, but not stand or lie down without mind-numbing pain. I was thankful I could at least sit down. Today, I’m thankful I can stand up, coach my daughters’ youth basketball teams, cook dinner for my family and walk for miles. When people tell me how sad it is that I can’t go jogging anymore, I always think about how happy I am to be able to stand upright and walk!!! I think about how happy I am that a relatively minor surgery performed by a skilled surgeon could fix my injury…not everyone is so fortunate.
A life well lived contains challenge and tragedy. It is unavoidable. Our measure is how we choose to face it, and I choose to be grateful for the good in my life rather than dwell on the bad. Are there parts of my life I’d love to change or wish didn’t happen? Of course. But we can only look ahead if we want to see what can happen next.
Try to take a moment to be thankful this season for the good in your life…it will help you be happier in the face of all the bad that we’ve endured this year. There’s proof that grateful thinking can help: https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/giving-thanks-can-make-you-happier. I’m so thankful for my family and friends, my dedicated team at Time Timer and for all the people who use our products. I love working for a company that helps all kinds of people around the world live their life a little easier each day.
My heart goes out everyone who has suffered this year, there’s been too much tragedy. Sometimes it is hard to find something to be thankful for, but even just one small thing can be the start you need. I’m really thankful that you even read this far in this article and I wish for you to have your best possible holiday season this year.
Take care,
Heather