Top 6 reasons to remain grateful during a difficult day

July 27, 2016

Do you remember playing with a spinning top toy?

It had a pretty simple mechanism but it was very entertaining. Push down on the lever and the top would spin round and round on its axis, blurring the images into a whirlwind. We probably watched it spin forever.

Do you feel, as I do, that we have become the human equivalent of our childhood toy?

On the best day, I feel like I have spun out of my own orbit a hundred times. Running from work to home, making supper, taking care of any household chores and then rushing to whatever sport/activity on the schedule for the night. I am out of breath simply recounting what an average day sounds like for most parents.

Spinning round and round and round with our levers pushed down to the maximum.

I am not proposing any solutions. I have not found the answer to the age-old question of simplifying modern life. Far from it.

Instead, on my way to swimming practice, after a particularly gruelling day at work, I realized that I was beyond fortunate to be driving my child to his activity.

Shall we analyze my past sentences and count our 6 reasons to overcome the urge to complain?

Driving: access to a car – a privilege along with vision, mobility and general health.
My child: millions struggle with infertility.
Swimming lessons: the financial capacity of providing an activity that will help my child develop a lifesaving skill.
Household chores: millions of refugees have lost their homes.
Making supper: millions are dying of hunger and malnutrition.
Work: millions are searching for employment.

And here I am, feeling frazzled from the abundance of privileges that were heaped on me.

I pray to remember this realization every time I catch myself spinning out of gratitude and into complaints.

Read more about gratitude here: How to feel better on a Monday

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