Everyday Life in Middletown
February 20, 2020
I did not have a chance to sit and write this last night as I felt I was taking a bad cold and turned in early. Having “broken” my fever by bundling myself in fleece and flannel under my covers—to the point where I woke up several times covered in sweat, followed by the hottest shower I could possibly stand, and of course, plenty of cold meds, has me ready to get out and face this chilly day.
I guess it’s appropriate that health-and gratitude for it—is on my mind this morning. Me, I haven’t had an official “sick day” in about nine years, and have always been pretty healthy. It’s easy to take for granted, and I’m grateful for it.
Just yesterday, I learned that a casual friend is facing terminal brain cancer, and I have another, much closer, friend hospitalized all week battling a severe kidney infection coming on the immediate heels of a legal and emotional nightmare. Too many times in the last six weeks I’ve been brought to the realization that our lives can literally change in an instant, and literally everything you’ve known before—health, life, liberty, and profession (lo, the “pursuit of happiness”) can quickly go up in flames.
It’s an important reminder to be grateful for things we have, live in the moment, and always try to hang on to those we consider valuable. If you love someone or something, tell them; show your gratitude. I have always been sort of “happy-go lucky,” and it seems to be an endearing part of my personality. Until it’s not any longer. More than once I have felt like someone beset by trouble and other hardships of life have taken a look at me and suddenly resented what they once enjoyed.
So in closing, one of my briefest entries today, but I guess that’s the point. Life is short. Make a point of enjoying and savoring what you have today and sharing it with those closest to you.