“don’t it always seem to go, That you don’t know what you got ’til it’s gone
Lyric from Big Yellow Taxi by Joni Mitchell
The photo above is of a very bland plate of food that I ate on Monday as part of a restricted diet. Yesterday, Tuesday, I started fasting after an even simpler breakfast and this afternoon I will be going into hospital for a proactive and preventative (do note that piece, all is well!) procedure courtesy of our wonderful universal healthcare system here in the UK, the NHS.
I’m 56 and very fortunate to be in great health generally, so also very privileged to have the NHS contact me at my age and ask me to come in for a screening procedure. It does, however, lead even the calmest and positive person (yes, even me) to give some thought to “what if they find something”, and if that should be the case, whilst I know I would be able to handle it, it would mean that a very high priority for me would be dealing with a health issue, something I never really have had to give consideration to in my life to date.
In other words, I’ve always been healthy, yet have never really taken time to appreciate that. My musings this morning then, are on appreciating what we have.
First, as I sit here writing I become aware of the ringing in my left ear (tinnitus). It doesn’t bother me, but ever since I had some sudden hearing loss a little over five years ago, that ringing and some moderate hearing loss in the same ear are part of life for me, they are permanent. I used to have near-perfect hearing, I don’t anymore. I simply can’t go sit in a busy bar or pub with a group and hear the conversation. It is what it is, and at the same time, I can be positive and appreciate what I do have in other areas and facets of life.
I am a big believer in the power of positivity and positive language, so I also think of numerous friends who make a point of being grateful for what they have, including gratitude journals. Perhaps that idea may be useful for you?
In business, recently I was in a conversation where a business was, appropriately for that meeting, focussing on improving their revenues and margins. As I listened, being a “recovering chartered accountant”, I noted that their business already has high margins and had smashed through their revenue targets. When asked for my thoughts, the first one was to ask them if they had taken time to acknowledge themselves and celebrate, to take time to appreciate what they have?
It is often very useful to always be pushing on to seek what we can achieve, what we can do more of. At the same time, sometimes it is also good to pause and appreciate what we have.