I could look at the last two weeks as a waste of time. It would be easy enough; two sick kids, one taking over where the other left off. I haven’t been alone in 17 days. 😳
But if I dig beneath the un-done errands, the things still on my to-do list from two weeks ago, or the number of times we ordered takeout, I find something surprising.
Gratitude.
Yep. Gratitude.
Strange right?!
That’s the funny thing about gratitude. It springs up where we least expect it. The trick is spotting it when it arrives.
It’s easy enough to be grateful when things are going well, but we feel our deepest gratitude when we’re struggling. Every small win feels monumental, and we embrace any opportunity to celebrate.
Would I say that having two kids sick back-to-back was a blessing?! Not so much. But it is an opportunity to practice gratitude, and I could always use extra training in that department.
Truth be told, I’m not a naturally “sunny” individual, and I can struggle to see the positives in a situation. I’ve had to train my brain to see things to be grateful for, and struggle has been my boot camp for gratitude.
What better way to practice gratitude than to dig in when things feel overwhelming and out of control by honing in on that spot of grace, that moment of calm, that gentle gesture? It’s there we discover what deep gratitude looks like.
My son is sitting across from me as I type. He’s wearing sweatpants and a pajama shirt, his maroon Harry Potter robe covering everything. His cheeks are flushed, and his earbuds are plugged into his iPad while he works on his computer. He’s doing some homework while he burns off his fever. At one point, he looked up at me and smiled. “This is so nice.” He said.
“It is, isn’t it,” I replied.
He smiled and returned to his screen.
I’ll be honest. I look forward to having the table to myself again and to feeling less distracted by the leak of music coming from my son’s earbuds. But I’m also grateful for this time to connect with him. In our introverted way, we are bonding, and that is a precious thing.
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