I woke up this morning feeling a little sorry for myself and somewhat pissed at the world. Not very 
typical of my personality, but I’ve had a long and challenging week.
Today, while taking care of my usual responsibilities I received an email from a very selfless and kind friend with some news that a really bad situation had befallen his family.
It is not my place to go into detail, but it is the earth shattering kind of news that made me say out loud, “Holy Shit!” And it made me feel like someone punched me in my gut. (Especially since I had the audacity to actually be angry at the world this morning.)
Please, I know it’s cliché, but embrace what you have and your good fortune TODAY. I was going to compile a list on how to “Embrace what you have,” but that’s bull. We all know what we have to do, the actions we have to undertake, and the people we need to tell they are important.
If YOU are having a bad day, a troubling week, or a horrible month then I am sending you all of the good karma and thoughts that I can muster.
To my friend, if you read this, we are thinking of you in the Caribbean.
image source: kalandrakas
Another good reminder, Mark. David Mullen had a similar post and seems that many of us, including myself, are realizing what matters most in our lives, which seemingly get sidetracked with business, email, Twitter, etc. much of the time. Unfortunate with the things that life throws at us but a reminder that tells us to always give time and support to our loved ones, regardless of how busy we may be.
Great reminder Mark, Today marks a transition for me and my own little family. We will finally stop being “nomads” and start living like citizens again. Of course, we are in New Hampshire now, with 20″ of snow on the ground, so I will consciously NOT think about you being “in the Caribbean”. ;-)
Simple message but great point, I hope your friends’ situation can be rectified
Cheers,
Glen
Hey Mark, I can’t thank you enough for your kind words. It’s amazing to have a friend like you in the Caribbean :)
Even if the situation itself cannot be rectified (I might as well tell it here: my wife had a miscarriage on week 14. It was the second in a row, which makes harder on us) but time will heal the wounds. And as Mark says in this post, it’s so important to see the good we have around us even during hard times like this.
I am happy that I still have my wife and nearly two years old kid, great friends, and lots of exciting things going on. But at the same time, this reminded me that life should be lived now, and not planning too far in the future. Because you never know how the future will be.
But of course we should still hope that it will be good… :)
I’ve started doing this more often. I have a history of being cynical and taking things for granted, which didn’t make me a very happy person. In the end, you end up taking life itself for granted, and that’s no fun.
I’ve learned that there’s always something in life to appreciate. The more you look, the more you find. We should all make it a habit.