With so many people in the United States and the world struggling right now with unemployment and health issues, I spent some time wavering as to whether or not I should even write this post. Is it insensitive to talk about blessings when so many people are hurting?
The truth is that I don’t know how long I will have my health or my employment. No one does. If I wait to count my blessings, I might never get the chance. Besides, living a life full of embracing what you have sure beats the alternative, which is longing for what you don’t. So here goes nothing: My first list of blessings. These are things I have encountered in the last few days that have caused me to be grateful. The list is wildly incomplete. I will add to it over time (not on consecutive days but when I feel like it) until I get to a hundred.
- A nice house in a safe neighborhood. We are able to go out and walk and the kids ride bikes with friends (and other popular socially distant activities). Our neighborhood continues to come up with ways to make the time outdoors enjoyable, and the vast majority of our neighbors have been friendly.
- The best home-school teacher I know. I don’t think my son will look back at this as his favorite school year, nor do I think my wife will look back at this as “the year she decided to get back into teaching.” However, they will probably both look at this time fondly when it is all said and done. Meanwhile, my daughter is doing things before her fifth birthday that continue to amaze me. I know she wouldn’t be at that level without the work my wife puts in.
- Phone time with mom. My family has admittedly not really ever been “phone people.” I know people who talk to their extended family all the time. I know people who talk to them some of the time. Meanwhile, I traditionally call my mom…eh…whenever I get around to it. Again, it’s just not our family’s thing. I call my sister rarely. (We text. If I called her out of the blue I think she would be worried that something was wrong.) Extra time at home has meant calling my mom two or three times a week, which for us is a lot!
- Grocery stores and all the workers who keep them stocked (both near and far). I admire the grocery store workers right now, especially the elderly employees. They read the news and know the risks, and yet they still work their tails off to serve people. I have had better customer service in the last few weeks than maybe ever before.
- My students. All the teachers are trying to get used to Google Classroom at my school, and it has its ups and downs. The students who have written me have been kind, patient, and complimentary of my efforts-even if they aren’t always the best. I even had a former student join my classroom just because he liked how I taught (although I had to tell him to get out because administrative Big Brother is watching).
- Carryout food. Today I had half off wings from Buffalo Wild Wings. I want to support local business and not chains when possible, but I also have to be reasonable about the money I spend. When you can feed your family at a good price and discover that even the kids have wing flavors they like, it’s a win. (It’s Parmesan Garlic for one and Sweet BBQ for the other.)
- Non-tech toys for the kids. I have seen the kids put together a ton of amazingly creative stuff with magnet tiles and Legos, and write some great stuff in their notebooks. My daughter and I played “snowball baseball” today and the Frisbee afternoons have been great with my son.
- Social media. I have been using Facebook to share posts daily, and I think there has been a lot more positive than negative floating around on it lately. I think people get enough negative in the news that they don’t want to hear more than they have to. Now I will acknowledge that I had a negative political post a few days ago, and I don’t regret it. I would argue that most of my posts are positive though, and I hope to keep it that way.
- Coffee. I am finding myself hooked more than ever before, and although that’s not a good thing, coffee has made the mornings warm and the afternoons cozy and relaxing. I may or may not have brewed half a pot at about 8:00 tonight.
- Sunshine. We don’t always get sunshine here in Ohio, but today was a bright and beautiful day. I am grateful for the days of sun we do get, and on the days we don’t have sun at least I still have blessings 1-9.
It’s really hard to make a list of blessings and then feel lousy. I feel great. Will you share some with me? Seriously, I’m not kidding. I promise you will feel better too!