Wisconsin notes:
- Sunrise 6k this Wednesday morning. Show up as usual at 5:29 and 6:26 am, ready to run
- If you still have cash to give to our O’Donnell Park staff, please bring it Wednesday
- Tergeython is on Thursday. Direct all questions towards Will Bott
We all have a lot to be grateful for. It seems to be more obvious when things aren’t going “well”.
Take, for example, having the stomach flu. Your innards do a lot for you to keep your digestion, electrolyte balance, and hydration in check and steady. But give your stomach one little bug and all seems to be wrong. In reality, it’s your body being *right*, trying to fight whatever is infecting you, but it hurts. It’s the worst to be laid up in bed, throwing up your intestines, when all you want to do is eat food like a normal person.
That’s when it becomes clear. You are lucky that this is an abnormal feeling. And in that time of pain and disgust, you realize how blessed you are.
Take a minute to be grateful for the times, like right now, when things are going well. Consider the fact that you have a coat to wear to a workout when temperatures drop below freezing.
Be grateful for that.
Imagine what it would be like if you couldn’t go home to a warm shower after a run in the snow. To wrap yourself in a towel that you washed last Sunday night, while you were making dinners for the week. To put on clean clothes, to make a cup of coffee, to get in your car and drive to work, a job that you enjoy and that pays your bills.
Be grateful for all of that.
Think about a life without the family and friends who love you, support you, pick up the phone when you need them, and hug you even when they squeeze you too hard. Think about the mentors in your life who inspire you to work harder and grow. Think about the people, to whom you happened to be born, who gave you this amazing opportunity just to be alive!
Be grateful for all of them.
Consider your body. Think about all of the things it allows you to do. Think of all of the things it does for you, keeping you awake, well-rested, active, happy, and connected with other bodies around you.
Be grateful for all of it.
I was talking to one of my dearest friends recently about our high school English class, where we read a poem by Ezra Pound, Erat Hora (which, sadly, is a break-up poem). But the first line speaks to me today about this period of gratitude for all of our blessings.
When I think about the things that aren’t going “well”, according to how I wish my life was going, I’m challenged to look at these things as good, as learning experiences, and opportunities for growth. And while I can say “thank you” for the things that I love about my life, I can also look at the tough things and think (in the words of Ezra Pound):
Thank you, whatever comes.
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