Woke up in the middle of the night and this word just popped into my head. No reason. Just showed up.
Right now, at this very moment, I am most grateful for faith.
My faith is none of your business. It is my business. Just like your faith is your business. I'm not going to share what I believe or don't believe. That's between me and whatever I believe in. Just know I'm sitting here with a smile on my face. No doubts in my heart or mind. That's enough.
Next I am grateful for my wife.
Kim has been with me for over 33 years now. 35 if you count the dating and engagement years. My rock. She ensures I find the wind that stays under these big fat wings. She's seen me at my worst and stayed. She's pushed me when I needed pushing. She's held me up when I couldn't stand on my own, literally. I don't deserve her but I'm damn grateful she chose to stick around anyway.
I'm not sure my perspective on gratitude has changed over the years. I think I'm just learning to reflect on it more. To actually stop and acknowledge it instead of letting it pass by unnoticed. It's easy to get caught up in what's wrong. What's missing. What's hard. Takes effort to pause and recognize what's good.
Time is something I need to be more grateful for. Too long I have taken it for granted. Wasted it. Let it slip by without much thought. I need to start taking advantage of it more. Be more productive with it. Not just productive in a self serving way. Productive in a servant way. Doing for others. Being present for the people who matter. Using what I have left to make a difference instead of just getting by.
None of us know how much time we've got. That's not meant to be dark. It's just true. Makes sense to appreciate it while we have it.
Sitting here in the quiet of the night thinking about all this. Grateful.
What are you grateful for?
Thanks for reading,
Joe
Notes:
-All content is mine unless otherwise annotated.
-Images are my own unless otherwise noted.
-Photos edited using Linux photo editor and drawing and/or iPhone SE.
-Page Dividers from The Terminal Discord.