Be Grateful and Don't Take Things for Granted

As we are preparing to take a week long trip to celebrate our wedding anniversary and our glorious relationship, we are feeling particularly blessed and grateful for our individual and shared lives.

We recently watched a video on Facebook that showed a woman who lost her accounting job, could no longer afford her apartment, and wound up living in her minivan with her adult daughter and 2 dogs. This really hit home because this took place in Santa Barbara.

How did she end up like this? It barely matters; plenty of people live near the edge. It can take take no more than the bad luck of a failed transmission, a downsizing or a medical emergency to be pushed over the edge, and climbing back out isn’t easy.

Our take away from this is don’t take things for granted. At any moment, everything can change. Maude is perhaps a bit more aware of this than many people. She lost both her parents young and suddenly. She has lived with an awareness that the present is precious and at the same time, all there is. Be grateful for the roof over your head, the shoes you wear, that you haven’t lost your phone charger. You get the idea: take a glass-half-full attitude towards the world, because what you look at determines what your world looks like. Remember your driving instructor? Wherever you look, that’s where the car goes.

Click here to read the rest of the blog, and click here for Phil to read it to you.

Successful Relationship Reading Corner

Gratitude is for Lovers "I had one goal when I started graduate school five years ago—to understand why some romantic relationships thrive while others fail. I also had one primary hypothesis—that relationships fail when partners begin to take each other for granted. And I thought: If taking each other for granted is the poison, then gratitude might be the antidote."

Do You Take It for Granted? "Are you grateful for the life that you have? Or do you take things for granted? Maybe you haven’t thought about it for a while. Did you ever fail to appreciate someone you care about? Was that because you were too busy putting out fires or focusing on other things? Or perhaps you assumed they’d just hang around forever."

Why and How to Stop Taking So Much In Your Life For Granted "The week before last, my brother and I visited our Uncle up (up from us Southerners a least) in the Midlands as he has been poorly following a cancer diagnosis. He happened to say something that really resonated with me. He is currently experiencing ongoing pain and discomfort due to his illness. He said to us, “never underestimate how good it is to feel normal.” We spoke about this for a while, and he spoke of not taking “normal” for granted."

The Perils (and Benefits) of Taking Each Other for Granted "Few things are more comforting than having a partner you can take for granted. On the other hand, there are potential—though generally hidden—dangers in being “blessed” with such a person, including risks to the other person, the relationship, and ultimately yourself. So what are the pros and cons of such a secure (seemingly immune) relationship?"

The Importance of Appreciation in a Relationship "Appreciation happens to be one of the 3 A’s in any healthy relationship: * Acceptance, * Appreciation, * Acknowledgement. As a keen observer, a common thing I happen to notice among many couples is appreciation. Or, to be more precise, the lack thereof. And it appears to be an increasingly common problem with couples who have been together for a while."

Spreading peace one relationship at a time
Phil and Maude
 
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