Finishing the sharing trinity is gratitude. The old saw: count your blessings, is nice, but it’s hard to get it to really take emotionally. We here in the USA, reading webpages, grousing on facebook or reddit, are so extraordinarily lucky to be in this place and time, that it’s hard for us to even grasp the magnitude of our privilege.
Among all the humans who have shared this very special little planet, we are the one billionth of one percenters. Life is hard, and generally supplied in ample surplus to weed out the weak and unlucky, but for us here and now, what would the be slightest offense to the vast majority of our race can feel tragic.
A good friend’s beloved dog is very ill, and will likely not make it. It breaks my heart because there have been times in my life when my dog seemed like my only friend and comfort, and when losing them left me in the most crushing grief. I wept for them today.
But then, considering gratitude as I try to do on this day, I realized how incredibly lucky I am to have my most painful and difficult challenge be that a friend’s pet is dying. Here with my happy and healthy family, surrounded by love and plenty, while I still wept, I was able to come back to remaining grateful for this privilege of having the luxury of this grief.
Happy Holly Days
HOLLY DAYS 