Day 203 – Taking Things For Granted

“When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.”
– Gilbert Keith Chesterton

We are human. It is our nature to always want things. Then, when you get them, you get bored and want more things. This is called taking things for granted.

Think for just a minute. Remember how much you wanted to drive? You could not wait until you were 16 years old and could get a license. Fast forward to today. Are you still excited about driving, or do you take it for granted?

Here are some other things people take for granted:

• Their Health

• Their Relationships

• Their Eyesight

• Their Sense of Smell

• Their Sense of Taste

• Their Sense of Hearing

• Their Hands and Fingers

• Their Ability to Walk

• Their Ability to Talk

• Their Ability to Breathe

There are literally thousands of things we take for granted. Do you still have both parents alive? Do you think of them often and how they did their best to raise you? If you do, how often do you see them or call them. Do you end each conversation with I love you?

Do you have children? Are they healthy? Do they have friends? Are they doing good in school? Do they come to you for advice and tell you about their problems? If so, cherish this. You have a great relationship.

How about freedom of speech? We can say anything we want if we do not intentionally hurt another. We can worship our own God, and have freedom to choose our religion.

We have food that we do not have to grow ourselves or hunt down. It’s all conveniently located at a grocery store.

We have a bed to sleep in. Even if you didn’t get as much sleep as you’d like to, you had the opportunity to rest somewhere relatively peaceful.

We have beautiful movie theaters, amusement parks, concert venues, museums and sports teams in place just for our entertainment.

We have cell phones with marvelous capacity to do anything electronic and have instant communication without having to find a pay phone.

We have computers that allow us to receive emails from someone who cares about you.

We have a beautiful sunrise and sunset each day.

We have plants, trees, grass and flowers to marvel at.

We have qualified doctors and nurses for when we get sick. We have clinics, nursing homes and hospitals for when we are more seriously in need of medical attention.

We need to learn not to take things for granted. You know that there are things that you will think of that I have not written yet. There is a point here. Live life to the fullest. Cherish each day.

Hug you spouse, children, parents or significant others and tell them how much you love them. Be grateful for what you have instead of being bitter about what you don’t have.

Life is what you make it. Make it pleasant and enjoy . Or, do you still take things for granted?

I end this blog post with something we can all do. A smile. Something so simple can light up a room and give off positive energy. It is very contagious and takes less effort. All of these things give you reason to smile. But as we go through our daily and busy lives, we forget to smile. The most beautiful thing in the world is a smile, followed by a kind word. Give someone a smile and watch them smile back.

Remember: Do unto others as you want done unto you.