Last night I laid in my bed in silence and let my mind wander.

I was jumping from thought to thought. Seeing colors. Seeing shapes…

Then an old man made his way center stage. I couldn’t tell if he was supposed to be me in the future? Me in a past life? Or maybe a total stranger.

Who knows?

But this man was laying on his death bed and somehow I entered his mind. He was thinking to himself – what I would give to just get up and walk out of here one more time. I could sense his pain. I could feel it. He was so determined to get up, but he couldn’t. Time took its course on him and there was nothing he could do. His physical capabilities were gone. I just wanted to help him.

Then all of a sudden the focus went back on me. Immediately after experiencing these feelings, I realized I’m once again taking things for granted.

I have a loving, supporting family.

I have great friends.

I can support myself.

I can get up and run.

So today, on a 10 degree day in St. Louis, I decided to ditch my car and take a jog to the gym. I want to take advantage of what I have now. You know that quote “You don’t know what you have until it’s gone?” My experiences show this is true. I want to make gratefulness a habit in my life. This betters my perspective and will help me live every day more fully.

I did that today.