It is interesting, I had some personal things come up last
week and it postponed my start to this practice for a day. I found myself distracted and feeling like I
couldn’t find my place to write about thankfulness and then last night, I
forced myself to sit down and just write, to see what came to me. This morning, my heart feels lighter, I feel
happier, I feel more myself again. So, onto day 2!
During my trip down memory lane to take stock of my life, so
many memories flooded in about my Dad. I
lost him 2.5 years ago. He was sick much of my childhood and by the time he was
the age that I am today, he had had three heart attacks, had heart surgery,
been through cardiac rehab twice, and had given up on living. He assumed
because his parents had died young (all for treatable conditions that had they
gone to the doctor they would have lived much longer) that he needed to burn
the candle at both ends to get as much out of life as possible before it was
gone. So, he didn’t take care of himself; he drank what he wanted, ate what he
wanted and smoked as much as he wanted, until life played an interesting joke
on him: life continued.
My father lived to be 78 years old; yet he had to live his life
in a body that wouldn’t allow him to do the things that he wanted to do. During
this period of his life, he had a lot of time to reflect and he would share his
wisdom with me often. He told me that had he known he would live so long; he would
have taken care of himself. He would have
still enjoyed life, but with perhaps a bit less abandon. He would have been
able to enjoy time with his son and grandson, and he would have been able to
live to see his daughter (me) find her way in the world, and he would have gotten to meet her new family
and come to love them and they could have loved him. He missed meeting my new
family by three weeks.
I am a work in progress when it comes to taking care of
myself. I will often give so much of myself to those that I love that I can
collapse from exhaustion. I am known for
giving in to less than healthy food options when I am in need of comfort. And,
I will often take on additional responsibilities so my family can exercise and
eat healthy food, in lieu of my having time to exercise or relax. However, I
did have my surgery this year that I have needed for over ten years, that
allows me to breath. I have started (and stopped and started again) a healthy
eating plan and I am trying to figure out a way to give myself time to exercise
and to have down time to recharge.
Through all of this, I am so very thankful for good health. I am thankful that my family is in good health,
I am thankful that I am in good health, and I am committed to learning from my
father’s mistakes in order to look back on a life where I was able to enjoy the
world around me, my family and the flow of sweet animals that will be a part of
my life now and in the future. I know that each day is a gift, so, it is time
for me to go for a walk and appreciate the day that has been given to me.
To show my appreciation and thankfulness for what I have
today, I have made a $20.00 donation to each of the following charities:
- Painted Paws for Veterans (www.paintedpawsforveterans.org)
- Paws & Claws Humane Society (www.pawsandclaws.org )
- White Peony Farm (www.whitepeonyfarm.com )
- K9’s of Valor (www.k9sofvalor.org )
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