How many things do we have in our life that we simply do not notice or take completely for granted, until they aren’t there anymore? Really, when was the last time you were consciously grateful for your eyebrows? Bet it’s been a while, right? I know, that seems like a silly example, and most people don’t wake up in the morning bursting with thanks for having eyebrows. But what about if you didn’t have them? When a person loses all of their hair while undergoing chemotherapy, that can include their eyebrows and even eyelashes. And do you know how irritating it can be when your forehead sweats, to not have eyebrows to help prevent everything running into your eyes (which are likely stinging and irritated anyway, without eyelashes to help keep out the dirt)? Or think about how hard it is to properly convey your emotions and meaning through facial expressions without using eyebrows?
There are so many examples of this. Not really thinking about being grateful for the ability to walk…until you break your leg, that is. Things like having heat, until your furnace goes out during a cold snap. Having a working vehicle, or not needing to scrape that vehicle in the morning. Healthy kids, being able to pay the bills, not having your home flooded with sewage (haha, I am now often grateful for this one!!), good medical insurance, a brain that works….you get the idea. Living without those things for a time certainly makes me feel more thankful for when I do have them. And of course there are the big things, like perhaps not fully appreciating how important a person is to you until after they are gone, when only then do you fully realize how much a spouse did to help and support you, or what a huge role your mother played in your day to day.
I know that this week has hit home for me how often I have taken for granted things like being able to breathe, having a voice (I like to talk!), sleeping through the night and not being up coughing, having energy, being able to actually work. Yep, I’ve been down with a nasty case of bronchitis all week, and I absolutely am mindful of and feeling grateful for the things I listed above, as I slowly regain those abilities. I far too often take the simple act of breathing, of being able to take in a full breath without pain, too much for granted! In the midst of that, though, I’ve been playing a little game with myself trying to look for those little things to be grateful for while being sick. I’m grateful for having such easy access to medical care. I’m grateful that I did not have Covid, influenza, or strep, and that this hasn’t turned into full-blown pneumonia. I’m grateful that friends have been willing to drive my children to and from school. I’m grateful for the kind neighbors who have shoveled my driveway and walkway with all the snow we’ve gotten this week. I’m thankful for how helpful my kids have been with doing meals and being responsible with doing their homework and chores even though Mom wasn’t reminding or overseeing. I’m grateful to have caught up a bit on sleep! I’m thankful that the steroids I’ve been on to help with my breathing have had the added bonus of helping my Raynaud’s symptoms, which have been especially bad the past month or so. In fact, I woke up this morning with no pain in my hands or feet. I don’t think that has happened since we had our first cold snap.
So as we go through our busy schedules, too often rushing from task to task, what small things can we take note of and be intentionally grateful for today? (Because hey, at least you’ve got eyebrows!)
