One time when I was playing Australian Rules Football, I broke my leg so badly that it required two and half hours or surgery, a metal rod, a skin graft and nine days in hospital.
When I was on the brink of heading home after this ordeal, a doctor appeared in my hospital room to check over my wound before being released. I had never seen this doctor before (and didn’t see him again after this brief interaction). He loudly announced that he didn’t like the look of things and was “worried about infection”, so I wasn’t going home that day. Another night in hospital was required.
In the grand scheme of things, one night in hospital is nothing, and I don’t even remember what that extra night felt like now, but at the time it was the worst thing in the world. I just wanted to be home and it seemed to be so far from my reach in that moment.
Sometimes we can feel like we are so far from where we want to be. Like we are trapped in a never-ending loop keeping us from living our real life. Stuck trying to complete the boring stuff so we can get to the interesting part, but the boring stuff never ends.
In those moments, in order to not become bogged in the depths of despair, gratitude is our greatest weapon. Ironically, it can also be the hardest thing to find when we are in that space. The most grateful people that I have come across are those that practice it. They find things to be grateful for in any situation and it comes to them naturally after a while.
If you are curious about gratitude and need a place to start, my go to is to be grateful for sunlight. It sounds a bit simple but it is one of the foundations of life, and it doesn’t come with baggage or opinions. It shines on the deserving and undeserving. The good and the bad. The happy and the sad. It does not discriminate. I am grateful for that.
P.S.
I made it home from hospital. A day late for sure, but it all worked out, even if it didn’t feel like it would.
The Generosity Guy 