Every breath you take...

Most people take their good health for granted.  In any ordinary day, you wake up, you go to work, have your coffee or tea or soda to kick off your day, eat whatever you want, whenever you want, and engage in whatever activities you feel like; one way or another you get through your day without giving a second thought to the challenges you have given your body, or what it has to go through before you give it a chance to rest again that night.  It is natural that you would take it for granted - after all, for most people, most of the time, this is how it works.

But there are plenty of people for whom this is not the norm.  Of course, there are the extraordinary examples - those with terminal illnesses or severe chronic disabilities, those obvious people whose life is controlled by a medical diagnosis which drives their entire existence.  But there is a whole other world of people out there, as well, people who have, for reasons they may or may not want to talk about, a daily struggle with their body.

Small town life...

Very few people in this country live in small towns.  For the most part, Americans are city dwellers, and they tolerate the aggravations in order to embrace the opportunities offered.  According to the US Census, about 80% of us live in a metropolitan area, leaving vast open spaces for the other 20% who embrace a different lifestyle altogether.

A Grateful Wife

I rarely speak publicly about the man I am married to.  He is a very private person, and he doesn't like me talking about him in public, especially on social media, which is his right, and I respect that.  But today I feel like telling the world about the shy, quiet guy who brought joy into my world, because he deserves some credit for how he changed my life.

An Ordinary Man...

Today the world lost an ordinary man.  He was not, at least on paper, a VIP or someone that would be noticed in the street.  He didn't have wealth or fame or power, nothing that the world would look at and say, "He was Something."    There was no retinue to follow him and cater to his every whim.  Nor would he have wanted that.  On the contrary, he joyfully and graciously served others, right up until the last few days of his life.

Ten things I have learned....

In 54 years of living life, I have learned a lot.  Most of it is useless trivia, but some of it is valuable life wisdom.  I share it here to get you started thinking on your own list.  (I think everyone should have a list by my age.  Wisdom is one of the compensations for growing older.)

1. Degrees of responsibility will not matter when you are dead.  Sometimes it's better to just take the burden so you can all move forward.
2. Whether or not you were a person to choose the high road is something that people will remember about you when you aren't here to defend yourself.