Gratitude—giving and getting
The idea of gratefulness…
For me it’s about having an appreciation of the people who care for me and about me. How happy I am to be feeling better and seeing each day as an opportunity. I’m blessed to have these days ahead of me.
I’ve been thinking about those who don’t make it and those who still fight on. Life can be hard to manage and for some, the added challenge of cancer increases that struggle. It’s a horrible equalizer as it becomes a burden no matter if you’re young or old, with or without financial means, or whether you have adequate insurance.
In 2020, while I was undergoing treatments in the hospital, the first 4 of the cycles had me admitted to the children’s hospital since many of the floors in the main hospital were taken over by Covid patients. The adults on the floor were separate from the children, but you could hear them and saw their parents come and go. It made me sad and angry that a child should have to endure what I was going through and that this would become part of their early memories of life. And yet, sometimes when I would pass one of them in the hall or elevator, they would smile, we’d do a “high five” knowing we were in the same club, and it left me feeling like that child had given me more energy than I deserved. They are unique little beings, and I’m amazed at their capacity and resilience.
This experience has given me a clear perspective on how I view the world. I’ve always felt that my life was rich and filling, but now I’m even more appreciative of where I am and what each day can mean. It’s my intention to make the most of this gift and find ways to be happy, share joy, and thrive.
“Grateful living is fundamentally grounded in the invitation to see life itself as a gift: an unexpected gift that you did not need to do anything to earn or deserve, but is coming to you — wrapped in a wide range of packaging. In every moment that you are alive, this life has been given to you.” —Wake Up Grateful
