Gratitude – Love is What I Got – Just Remember That

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A nod to Sublime for the article title.  And now…

A short note tonight, about gratitude. Work is…decidedly stressful, though I am very grateful to have my job, and the babies with their health challenges also cause us a fair bit of stress.  Between the two, there isn't much time to unwind but I had a moment today.  As odd as it may seem, I got on my Trek bike to commute home, and the Buffalo city streets rarely have a lot of traffic.  I turned from Michigan onto Ohio street and caught a whiff of whatever lovely batch of cereal the Mills were cooking up. 

I just felt grateful in that moment.  I decided to rattle off a bunch of things that I was grateful for as part of my ride home.

I am so grateful…

1. To be free to smell the beauty of the moment.

2. To have the legs to ride my bike.

3. To have an awesome bike to take me where ever I need to go (as long as it isn't more than 20 miles, because I'm outta shape).

3.  To have a wonderful wife and three beautiful children to go home to (and visit in the hospital)

4.  To have a nice home to go relax in.

5.  To spend the moment listening to an inspiration speech by Matt Furey on my IPOD Touch.

6.  To have an IPOD Touch (damn, I love that thing).

7.  To live in a city with such an excellent hospital to take care of my kids.  Seeing my babies puts a smile on my face.  There's no other way to say it.

8.  To ride along a route that takes me by the Buffalo River.  Rivers and lakes seem to energize me.

9.  To be living a lifestyle that is largely free of the stresses of debt.

10.  To have my health about me, and my wife's as well.

Two minutes was all that took.  It snapped me out of a highly stressful day.  Just as easy as it is to get yourself in a downward spiral with negative thoughts (and believe you, me, I've made that an art form thanks to a fair bit of practice) it is also easy to spiral into positive thoughts.  Just one thought is all you need, to break the negative cycle.  One thing to be grateful for, even if it's just to have the sound mind to be able to think a positive thought.  Really, the world can take away everything you have, but it cannot take your thoughts.  That's the one thing you have control over, if you so choose to exercise it. 

I'm grateful to be going upstairs to bed with my wonderful wife.  Tomorrow I have an MRI and hopefully they can figure out why I am having some pretty nasty dizzy spells.  Till next we meet…

Namaste,

-Papa Charley