Gratitude – not by comparison

I am sitting in a warm, nice smelling office this morning, there is music playing, I am getting presents and planning my free time. To say I feel grateful would be an understatement. I am actually wondering how things get decided – wherever they get decided – who gets to enjoy the holidays and who gets to … not.

As I am writing, I know one of my colleagues is burying a loved one, friends and acquaintances are battling severe illnesses, people are lonely and anxious. It is so easy to fall into pity for ourselves thinking about what we are missing. Bombarded daily by images of “perfect” holidays, on TV or through social media, we hold this fake image of a holiday to a standard we should achieve. There is no more certain recipe for disappointment.

I am grateful that life is ordinary and kind to us, that, for some reason, we are the ones chosen to cruise through these times in peace and contentment, that there is food on our table and we are healthy. This is truly miraculous.