Daily Gratitude: “Freedom”

They signed on the dotted line.
They stood in line.
Hair shaved off.
Shaking in their boots.
They trained.
They deployed.
They died.

No one signed up to die
But they all knew it was possible
They felt something for their country
Something very deep
A love they couldn’t even describe
Some were so young it was the only love they ever knew outside of home

But there was another love
The love of a comrade
Having someone’s back
Someone to protect
Knowing that they have your back
There’s perhaps no greater bond in the world

Never take freedom for granted.
It’s disrespectful to those who never came home.
That’s not what they signed up for
But they knew it was a possibility
They loved you and didn’t even know you
How can you not feel the loss of all those who never returned

You can have your barbecues
You can party
You can complain about the weather, the traffic, the price of gas.
If you do complain though, realize that someone died so you could retain the right to complain
Think on that and then see how important complaining is

Some mother, some father, some spouse, some kids are wiping tears while you’re complaining.

What have you given that’s equivalent to what our armed forces have given?
What right do you have to disrespect them?

There’s an empty chair at some dinner table.
What if that was your dinner table?

Memorial Day should be every day.
But at least today you can say “thank you for giving your life so I could have freedom.

Thank you Marines, Sailors, Soldiers, Airmen, Coasties!

Daily Gratitude: “If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way”

We all don’t have to have things named after us; we don’t have to have accolades reaped upon us; we don’t have to find a cure for cancer.

We just have to do whatever is in front of us the best way we can…no matter how small the project or task is.

Take pride in everything you do. If something’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well.

Whenever you start something, take a minute and make the intention that you will give it all you have and will do the best possible job. Do this with simpler things like doing the dishes, washing your car, picking up after yourself, catching and stopping yourself from complaining, etc.

After you’ve mastered this with the simple things, move on to the harder ones. Starting small and easy makes it become a part of your life, a habit. Once it’s part of your life, dealing with the harder tasks becomes easier.

Daily Gratitude: “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”

This could also be said as stop beating your head against the wall and start peeling away your layers so you can look inside.

Ideally if the situation is out of our control we shouldn’t even be trying to change the situation. Unless it’s to take yourself out of those circumstances.

I feel it’s always best to work on myself first. Of course if you’re sitting in a burning building and there’s a way out, you want to extract yourself. But most of the things we get ourselves into can be better dealt with by examining our reactions and responses.

My upcoming race may be problematic due to medical issues. But I’m going no matter what. And I’m going to apply what I learned last year. I’m going to have fun and enjoy the challenge. I could spend the time between now and then “worrying” about (aka obsessing about) the issues. But what good would that do? It would just ruin the days I spend thinking negatively.

My time is better spent experimenting with possible solutions, doing the best I can and enjoying each and every day as it comes.

Remember that over 90% of the things we worry about never happen. It doesn’t mean to ignore things but attending to something is not the same as worrying.

Use that energy to look for the positives. I am so grateful for the mess I made of last years race because not only did I get a new book out of it but I learned so much that I’ve already applied in my life. These improvements have made it all worthwhile.

Think about something in your life that is such that you can challenge yourself. See what happens to your mood and your outlook.