Appreciation

I realized last night how much I actually take for granted. And it isn't until something is removed or taken away, that we realize what we actually had or have.

I have taken my parents for granted, or at least the help they give me in child care. Today is Family Day, a day that I don't have off. I work for the Federal Government and since this is a Provincial holiday, I am not entitled to having it off unless I take a vacation day.

My kids have had the flu for the last week and a bit. They are both feeling better, which is really great. Now, with today being Family Day, the schools and Daycares are closed, and they should be. But both my parents are sick now and I had nowhere to send my kids while I went to work. It isn't a big deal, as I just have to take it off now. But it made me realize just how much I depend on my parents. And I have also realized how much I take a lot of things for granted.

Our lives are short, and we never know when they are going to end. It isn't something we can predict or prevent, so we need to live each day to it's fullest because it might be the last. A girl in her late twenties died last week. She hit a gravel truck head on on a slippery highway. She was about 4 months pregnant. I am sure that someone took her life for granted and assumed that they would all get to enjoy the new baby and live to a ripe old age. Not so.

I take many things for granted, and not just the care and help my parents provide. I take my job for granted. I take being able to buy groceries and make my payments for granted. I take my Kung Fu for granted.

That last one, my Kung Fu is a tough one for me to admit. But it's true, I take it for granted. I am very lucky to have the opportunity to train at an amazing school filled with amazing people. I take for granted how much I learn and how lucky I am to be able to pass on my knowledge. I take for granted, and sometimes forget the journey that I took to get where I am today.

It's time that we all look at our lives, and take stock the things that we take for granted. We take for granted our sense of smell, sight, mobility, touch and taste and hearing. We take for granted the people in our lives and the things we have. We need to stop and appreciate how lucky we are to live where we do and the freedom we have. We need to look in the mirror and appreciate the very fact that we are alive. We need to look beyond the little things. If your significant other is constantly leaving the cap off the toothpaste and it irritates you, is it really worth fighting over? What if that person didn't come home today? They were in an accident or something else. How many regrets would you have? Look at the person you love today, and appreciate them for what and who they are. They might not be around tomorrow.