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Hey Reader, I hope you are starting to lean into the holiday season, especially this season of gratitude. Yesterday, I was visiting my dentist (not my favorite place in the world), and while I was in a little pain and a lot of discomfort, I suddenly became overwhelmed with gratitude. Although I could think of at least a hundred other places I'd rather be than at the dentist, I was still happy to be there. Okay, maybe not "happy," but I was definitely content. While sitting in the dentist's chair, I had the thought, "You could be dead right now...". I know that sounds a bit dramatic, but allow me to explain. Just the day before, I learned that the life expectancy 200 years ago in the US was 39 years old. That's a major difference from today's life expectancy of 77.5 years old. As I examined the stark realities of those two numbers, I began to become thankful that I'm alive in this day and age. Being alive today, as opposed to the 1800s, has many benefits, including the ones we've grown to dislike or even complain about, like going to the dentist. Having a toothache in the 1800s meant home remedies that may or may not work or going to a likely unlicensed dentist who didn't use anesthesia because it wouldn't become a common practice for at least another 50 - 100 years! So, while they picked, rubbed, polished, and even drilled in my mouth (you should have seen the "smoke"!), all I could think was, "I'm grateful to be alive during the era of technology and pain medicine." This was a great reminder that gratitude is all about perspective. If you look at everything as a gift, everything will suddenly become a gift. Unfortunately, the opposite of that is true as well. if you look at everything as a weight, everything will suddenly drag you down into the depths of despair. It really boils down to what you choose to focus on. I hope you choose to see all the gifts you have around you. I hope that the warmth of gratitude fills your heart as you take some much-needed time with family, friends, and loved ones. Happy Thanksgiving! |
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