Appreciation

As I was eating my delicious fried chicken dinner on Saturday night at Jacques-Imo’s in New Orleans, a feeling of appreciation came over me. For almost the first 32 years of my life, I took for granted being able to walk and run, to live my life without a care in the world; disease, pain, and adversity --- those were things that happen to other people, not to me, and not to my friends. Life just seemed to float by without major upheavals. Sure I had my ups and downs, like everybody, but overall life was good.

Injuring my ankle, having surgery, and going through a difficult recovery has changed my perspective. Not being able to walk for almost two months, and thinking at one point that I was sentenced to a lifetime of pain, will have an impact.

What I appreciate now, in a way I never could two years ago, are the little things in life --- a simple get together with my parents, a night out with my friends, a walk on the beach, sitting on a park bench and reading the newspaper. What I appreciate the most, however, is good health. My ankle is fully healed, I’m running again and training for a marathon, and I have no major health issues whatsoever. I’m fortunate, I’m lucky, and I know it.

Unfortunately, there are others in life who aren’t so lucky, people like Kate. The other day I was reading her blog and listening to the audio interview she gave to the New York Times. She is fighting her heroic battle against cancer not only by going through medical treatments, but also through her determination to keep doing the little things --- working, going to the grocery store, the activities we all take for granted as the normal part of life. She does this with great wit and humor, as evidenced by her inspiring blog.

Ankle injuries don’t come close to cancer, not by a long shot. However, having gone through my own little health struggle has given me a better perspective and appreciation of just how important our little routines are in life. In fact, I would argue it's the little things that are the essence of life, though we may not always realize it until we have them taken away from us.