#481 Be Thankful

this week's message on my work letter board

My last post talked about feeling blessed, so now I want to broach the topic of being thankful.  Just in time for Thanksgiving. 

This morning I woke up at 5 a.m. to go to a class at my gym, as I sometimes do.  I have the routine down and get things ready the night before.  In the morning all I have to do is brush my teeth, get dressed, throw my bags in the trunk, and go.  One of the bags is my gym bag.  The other is my backpack, in which I carry my lunch, a book, reading glasses and my cell phone, among other things. 

Lately I’ve been checking the Waze App on my way to/from work to gauge the traffic situation.  This morning after I closed the trunk of my car, I realized I hadn’t checked Waze.  I decided not to check; it was 5:30 a.m.  There shouldn’t be any traffic. 

If I had re-opened the trunk to get my cell phone out of my backpack, I would have realized that my backpack was still in my house.  Since I didn’t do that (and didn’t pay attention that the Bluetooth sign wasn’t on my car screen), I found out after I got to the gym, some 20 minutes later.

My first instinct was to go home immediately and skip my workout.  But wait!  Since my class was so early, I could do it and would have time to shower, drive home, and still be on time for work.  The one good thing about an early class.  

Despite the “rocky” beginning, my plan was falling into place.  Until I drove closer to my street and saw numerous flashing lights.  There were fire trucks everywhere and no one was able to turn into or out of my street.  I parked on the side of the main road in the grass, and decided to walk to my house to retrieve my backpack. 

As I walked, I saw what had happened – one of the houses had caught fire, with a gaping hole on the side spewing smoke.  Neighbors were huddled in their front yards, some still in robes.  I stopped long enough to talk to a few women.  They didn’t think anyone was inside.  I continued walking down the street and as I passed the cars that had lined up to get out, each person rolled down their window to ask what was going on.  I relayed the small amount of information I knew, and told them they wouldn’t be getting out soon.  I finally got my backpack, walked back to my car, and was on my way.  Despite the fire delay, I made it to work about five minutes early. 

Sometimes our day doesn’t go as planned.  Today it was my backpack.  Tuesday it was my underwear (which is why I always keep a spare set in a zip lock baggie in my gym bag – I’ve had a forgetful week!).  Usually it’s something trivial and not life-altering.  It’s ok to be annoyed, but try to keep in mind that unless someone has been seriously hurt or died, it’s not that big of a deal.  This morning I was thankful I was able to participate in my gym class.  I was thankful I was able to go back to get my backpack.  (And even if I hadn’t, I would have survived the day.)  I was thankful no one was hurt in the house fire.  I was thankful it wasn’t my house that had burned.  I was thankful I got to work on time.  (And thankful that even if I hadn’t, my co-workers would have understood my lateness.) 

Even with all the “madness” going on in the world, there is much to be thankful for.  It’s easy to remember this around Thanksgiving.  Let’s keep it going throughout the year. 

Oh yeah, thank you for reading! 

X, LG