Thankful to be Thankful

In looking at the days that come and go in a person’s life, today was nothing spectacular. It was what I call a “veg” day – a day with nothing planned and nowhere I needed to be. I could relax, sleep in as long as my body would let me, and do less exciting but much needed functions of living, a.k.a. the laundry, all in the luxury of my pink fuzzy slippers.

It was my change in attitude that made today extraordinary. It seems 2008 has been one set of health setbacks after another, leaving me battling colds, allergies, the flu, and back spasms that give the term “veg day” a whole new, less inviting meaning.

The pain of one such spasm was haunting me this past week, making every task huge to undertake. I hadn’t realized, but I had just been trudging along, doing what I could to keep moving because I had to, not because I wanted to. Pain, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual is exhausting to deal with and in the midst of it, seems hopeless to overcome. I was bummed as well because I had not been able to exercise like I had been and was starting to feel the effects of it.

On Thursday, relief came in the form of a much-needed massage. From that evening on, it was as if a cloud had been lifted from my eyes and I could see life in a whole new, pain-free light. The clear, night sky seemed brighter, the full moon seemed bigger, and my step had more bounce to it. I could feel a smile creep across my face at this realization. I was thankful.

My thankfulness spread. At work, where more people were out due to sickness than those present, I was thankful to be there. I was thankful to be doing work I enjoy; to make people laugh; and continue my quest to make order out of chaos. My co-workers noticed my transformation.

Today, I was thankful to be able to do my laundry, to bend down and pick up load after load with minimal pain. As I put away my clothes, I was thankful I had the funds to afford them. I was thankful for the rain that was coming down outside; for our ‘old man bunny’ who got caught in the rain; for a fireplace to warm our ‘soggy bottom bunny’; for cute kitties whose sheer role in life is to hold down a specific corner of my bed; for a comfy bed in which to sleep in; and for Listerine that now is vanilla-flavored. I wasn’t just thankful. I was thankful to be thankful.

To be thankful is a blessing because it allows one to see life as it should be seen – with a mixture of awe and humility. It’s the hard times in life that are often the sweetest gift because they allow us to appreciate our achievements, even if small, reminding us of the One who really is in control (and it isn’t me!).

I’m hopeful and determined to be on the road to recovery, thankful for every step that takes me there, especially if in the luxury of pink, fuzzy slippers.