7 Days of Gratitude – Being Alive

Without life, gratitude is meaningless. Nobody polls the dead regarding what they are grateful for.

It is possible that circumstances may change and that, through lingering pain or tortuous imprisonment, I may someday change my mind about the value of continued living. I mean no disrespect to those who have chosen differently. But for me, for now, to be alive is enough, or, at least, close enough that I’m happy for it to remain my norm.

I find that I got in the habit of thanking the Lord for being alive in prayer during my impressionable youth and I’m fairly glad of the habit. Being alive is no sure thing. I am of an age where I read about people, friends and friends of friends, passing in their sleep with some frequency. I am really only an unexpected blood clot or aneurism away from discovering the great mystery. So, I’m learning to value my time here and be grateful for it.

To be alive is to live in paradox. It is to suffused with the power to change yourself and the world around you, while, at the same time, to surround yourself with the comforting and stable familiar. It is to wake up ready to experience the day with all your senses and reason, while simultaneously to endure the slow deterioration of your body, aches and pains combining in ways that will limit your capabilities over time. Life is a constant contradiction and I am grateful for it.