I celebrated a birthday last week – 47 years old for those of you that lost track (That list includes my parents, by vocalizing my age I think it reminds them of their age).

I schedule a physical with my lab coat doctor (my “primary care” physician who only sees me once a year for my annual physical) in the month of May as my “celebration” of health to get some lab tests and have my prostate examined (half of all cancer in men is 1 finger deep).  He gave me a clean bill of health, but failed to note that my LDL cholesterol is high!  This past year I got my total cholesterol below 200 and lost 6 pounds (I fit comfortably in size 34 pants, my ultimate test for my weight)! 

I do “feel my age” more than I used to.  Recall from a previous post that Anita and I are tending to the lawn care responsibilities again.  I especially feel it after kneeling, stooping, reaching and doing all kinds of other tasks that I used to do with ease.  My back tends to ache a bit more (I guess I should have paid more attention to good posture as a teen) but I do some exercises for my lower back that I discovered on the internet which help tremendously. 

Exercising irregularly as I do tends to produce more aches and pains than sculpted body parts.  Anita and I are making a point to walk more.  I enjoy the time together, no TV, no computer, just the two of us talking (that’s a novel concept) and walking for health.  We get a bit carried away at times and boy are my tendons and calves tight the next day.  I’ve discovered another exercise to stretch them out (I realize stretching before and after walking would be a better idea).

I have a BIG list of things I intend to accomplish in life, places I’ll visit, experiences I’ll share and people I’ll meet but I have so many things for which I’m truly grateful the other pales in comparison.  In our instant gratification society, where blame is placed elsewhere until proven in a court of law, where stories of doom and gloom top the headlines and people look to others to provide their basic necessities for life it’s hard to stay focused on the things we enjoy every day, the blessings that are shared with us so abundantly.

What are you grateful for today?  Start a list, write it down; tell someone you value them.

Here’s today’s top 10 for which I’m so truly grateful:

1. A relationship with God.
2. My health.
3. The opportunity to share my life with someone I love dearly, my wife Anita (sorry honey today you’re #3).
4. The love of so many family and friends.
5. Living in the best country in the world with freedoms and opportunities many only dream of having.
6. The willingness to try new things.
7. A willingness to say I’m sorry (when the new things don’t go as planned).
8. A kind heart to reach out to others to let them know they matter.
9. Confidence in myself with a feeling of unrealized expectation (I’m retiring from my career at Procter & Gamble the end of the month).
10. File drawers with empty space (I spent Saturday doing some spring cleaning).  Maybe this is better phrased “A willingness to release things that no longer add value to my life”.

Who can you call today to tell them they’ve made a difference?  

All the things that really matter in life are FREE – our mind, our health, our family, our relationships, our goals and dreams, our lives!

When I get caught up in the doom and gloom of it all, when I’ve got a big challenge that’s been placed directly in front of me, when I allow things outside my control to affect my attitude reflecting on the things for which I’m grateful puts everything back in perspective.  Refocuses and reenergizes me on what’s right in my life, takes me to a place of peace and serenity that was so easy to lose.

Give it a try, what’s the worst thing that can happen?  The pain, fear, anger or other destructive emotion will be there waiting for you.  Open your eyes to the abundance you have in your life and be grateful for it!