What I wouldn’t do right now for a simple date night. Drop Rhys off at my mom’s for a couple hours. 🍿🍔🍺Maybe get tickets for Black Widow at the theatre that gives us half off their burgers with every ticket.
Or for a day out at dog beach. 🏖 Let Beignet run into the ocean since it’s pretty much the main way she gets bathed.
Or for baseball season. ⚾️ Starting April off with some high expectations for the Phillies that’ll most likely be dashed in mid-August.
A quirk of life is that we naturally take our “normal” for granted. I go further. I often look at normal as something to try and improve on. I’m often escaping “normal” to try and find adventure. I see things that are alright and ask “is there any way to make it better?” It’s a gift and curse. Being able to practice contentment and gratitude alongside constant improvement is a skill that takes a lifetime to master.
Four years ago, when I had to spend a week in a hospital, I remember what a good feeling it was to get back to “normal,” when we were released. And I discovered that disruptions to our sense of normal help us appreciate things much more.
There are many ways I hope our world transforms post-pandemic. 🌍 But at the heart of it, I hope we appreciate our lives and those around us so much more. Here’s one other plot twist. That mindset doesn’t need to wait. If you really wanna work those gratitude muscles, start with what’s in front of you, locked up in the same house.
For me it’s time with my boy during his baby era. 🎮 And playing video games before bed with my wife. It’s the fact that I still have a job. The fact that we aren’t in financial jeopardy and can still order books and the occasional takeout. 🥡 It’s health. It’s the fact that this isn’t happening in the 90’. It’s Italian movies and Thai noodles. It’s having good times to look back on and forward to.
And it’s always more precious than we realize.
More Precious Than We Realize