[2022-01-11] Being grateful
Being grateful doesn't mean ignoring the downside of a particular situation. It means focusing on the positive aspects of an otherwise disheartening state of affairs.
For example, I'm grateful for snow pants. I don't wear them often, but when Environment Canada issues an extreme cold warning for my area, I bust them out. I'm also grateful for wool socks and wool hats, down-filled mittens, and heavy-duty winter coats with magnetic snaps. None of these cold-weather clothes change the temperature, but they do make being outside decidedly more enjoyable.
I'm also grateful for appointments that run on time. Many don't. So when they do—as my radiation treatments have gone this past week—I'm pleased. Appreciating the excellent and efficient care I receive at the Cancer Centre doesn't change the 25 treatments I need to receive nor the side effects I will no doubt experience, but they do make a necessity more pleasant to endure.
I'm grateful for my husband, who drives me to almost all my medical appointments, which means that I don't have to fuss with parking. Chris' moral support doesn't change my cancer diagnosis, but it does make it easier to face the ups and downs of my treatment and may very well influence the outcome.
In a previous post, I shared a quote that I had seen on a simple dollar-store sign years ago: "Being happy doesn't mean everything's perfect. It means you decide to see beyond the imperfections." In the case of gratitude, I would tweak the quote to say: "Being grateful doesn't mean pretending that everything's perfect. It means seeing the positives within a difficult situation."
