I feel so thankful all of the time. Beyond gratitude for the life that I lead. However, I believe that I feel so much gratitude for my life because of the most difficult of times. I do not believe we can understand joy without understanding hurt. My perspective on life has been drastically altered by specific events in life, the four most prominent: Moving to Salt Lake City with no money, living in low income housing, and working at a grocery store as one of three jobs where I relied greatly on the food the deli would give me at the end of the day (otherwise to be discarded) as I did not have the income to purchase much. The death of my father several years ago made me quickly realize that life was short and that love and family and friends are truly what matter. Getting married and having a true partner in life brought me such joy and fulfillment. Becoming a mother has altered me in ways I do not yet know.
These four points in my life all came with such love and joy and such heartache and pain that they altered my psyche. How lucky am I? How lucky to have had these experiences so early in life. I now know what matters most. I value my friends and family, adventures, and living above work. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE what I do. I see great value and find such fulfillment in working with such amazing people who are so committed to making the world a better place. The joy I get from my work is immensely rewarding. Yet I realize now that I will not be remembered for the work or for any achievements I may have over my life.
The above mentioned points in my life have shown me that it is not WHAT you do, but HOW you do it that matters the most. The residents that learned under my dad do not remember him for what he taught them, but how he taught them - how he made them feel, the good and the bad. My clients and past coworkers will not remember me for plans I helped them make or goals we worked together to achieve, but they will remember me for how I made them feel along the way and the journey and ride, not the end goal.
The same is true for friends and family. We will be remembered for being loved and for loving well.
I will be remembered by my niece and nephews for the love they felt from me. I will be remembered by my friends and my family for what we all mean to each other in life. I will be remembered through my wife's and son's eyes for all of our conversations, adventures, challenges, and life stories. Again, how lucky am I?
How lucky that I'm able to shape my life to be there for my family and friends. How lucky that I have been given every opportunity along the way. How lucky to share this life with the most amazing people doing incredible work to make a difference.
So yes, I am grateful today. I am grateful everyday - no, I'm not being cheesy. Truly, I am beyond thankful in this time of year and each day that follows.
So here is my challenge to you in this season and every season. Do not wait until it is suggested by the holiday to be thankful. Love your life - the good and the bad. Embrace the pain as you know that joy will follow and will be felt more than ever before. Do not run away from the hard as that is not escape, it is just delay of the inevitable. Run toward life and all that it brings. Take that risk - jump at the chance to really live and love. Sure, chances are you will hurt along the way, but in the end, do not look back and wish that you had lived differently. Life is short and powerful. It will pass in a blink of an eye, so don't wait until tomorrow to be grateful and figure it out. Figure it out now. Live and be grateful now. Do not get caught forever in the neutral zone. When you are caught in a rapid, you have to paddle faster or slower than the current to have any control of where you end up. So paddle fast or paddle slow or switch it up, but don't let the rapid take control because you're frozen with fear.
Thank you for being on this great ride of a life with me. Thank you for providing me with love and friendship and laughter and tears. Thank you for being you and being in my life.
Happy Thanksgiving to all and many wishes for joy and love in the years ahead.
