Today, I went over to Carwise Automotive in Smyrna to drop off the $20 that Debbie Heughan won in our contest and so generously donated to help the family that Teresa Redman left behind when she passed away on May 16th while giving birth to her son*.

It got me to thinking about how important it is to look at things in perspective. I used to work with this guy who had had a very hard life. Every morning I’d ask him how it was going and every morning he would tell me, “It’s a great day! Every day I wake up, is a great day.”

This is a guy who certainly would have a lot to complain about, yet he rarely did, because he was grateful to be alive and free. That kind of outlook is inspiring. I love to complain. LOVE IT. At any given time, I’d be glad to gripe to you about the weather, the price of gas, the crappy air conditioning in my car, my evil dogs, cicadas, mosquitoes, crappy television programming, people who make me mad….I think you get the idea.

But the fact is, I’m an incredibly lucky person. And you know what? So are you. You’re still alive and around to fight the good fight, even if you don’t feel like fighting it. Even if you’ve been fighting it all your life. You don’t have a dime to your name. You’re sick. You’re tired. You’re sick and tired of being sick and tired. Believe me, I know. My life has not been easy, and I still struggle every day with dealing with life on life’s terms.

But how about you take a moment every now and again to savor what you do have. Every single one of us has blessings in our lives. Great friends, amazing family, awesome pets, the fact that you live in a town that has a website that is this freaking cool (haha, just seeing if you’re paying attention), believe me, you have something that is worth being grateful for. There are always people who have it better than you do. And there are always people who have it worse than you do.

So today, why don’t you join me in rejoicing in the blessings your life has brought you? What are YOU grateful for, fellow citizens?

*They are still accepting donations to help with funeral expenses for this family. You can give your donations to David Pope at Carwise Automotive which is at 100 Country Village Drive in Smyrna. Here’s the phone number: 615-459-8216