Tag: gratitude

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COVID-19 HAS CHANGED SOME LUCK

Have you ever been on a cruise?  If not, why?  For most people, the reasons are financial.  Even though cruises are a “good deal,” they’re still beyond reach for the average middle class person struggling to support a family.  Other reasons are because of motion sickness, poor health, whatever.  But you still have to hear someone you know raving about the cruise they just took or are going to take.  That’s all changed now.  No one envies the “lucky people” who got stuck on cruise ships this year.  Covid-19 has changed some luck. 

If you’re retired, you probably know of people who can afford to live in luxury, senior living facilities.  Those posh places with gourmet food,  swimming pools, fitness centers and the like.  Sometimes you’ve envied their life style– the congregate meals and activities they enjoy, while you’re stuck in your own home.  Still worrying about trash removal, lawn care, shopping, cooking, and cleaning. That’s all changed now.  Those folks are stuck in their apartments with meals being delivered to them on trays.  In your own place, taking care of the yard and cleaning your house provides much needed exercise.  You’re able to go outside and take a walk.–to come and go as you please.

Some luck has changed. Be thankful for what you got.
Some luck has changed.

If you’ve ever worked in a middle income job you may have wished you were a doctor or nurse.  Those people not only enjoy high salaries,  they seldom lose their jobs.  That’s still the case, but the trouble is, many of them are getting sick and dying during the coronavirus outbreak.  Health care workers are risking their lives every single day that they go to work.  They really aren’t very lucky, right now.

Do you live in flyover country?  Big city dwellers on both coasts have looked down on you forever.  Who would want to live in a dull place like Nebraska or South Dakota?   You may have envied people who have glamorous jobs and enjoy the excitement of big cities.  Trouble is, they’re all crammed together in a very small space.  It’s called population density, and if you live in a western state or a dull little town, you’re chances of getting sick with Covid-19 are much, much less.  Because you aren’t living on top of each other and breathing in infected air every time you step out your door.

Covid-19 has changed some luck.  This isn’t a time for schadenfreude.  No one  should enjoy the misery of others. But if you’re one of the lucky ones who hasn’t  come down with the virus, count  your blessings.   Stop comparing yourself to lucky people. Be thankful for  what you’ve got. 

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GRATITUDE, GRANDCHILDREN & THANK YOU NOTES

Do you always receive a thank you note expressing gratitude for the presents you send to your grandchildren?

A HANDWRITTEN THANK YOU IS A SPECIAL TREAT
MANY CHILDREN TODAY ARE MORE APT TO TEXT A THANK YOU, RATHER THAN WRITE A NOTE
If you listen to women at club meetings and bridge parties, you’re apt to hear a lot of grumbling on the subject.  Conventional wisdom says you should stop sending gifts to anyone who doesn’t acknowledge receiving them.  But hey, wait a minute.   Between the two of us, my husband and I have nine grandchildren,  Some write lovely thank you notes, some text or email, and a few of them say nothing at all.  Are we supposed to stop sending birthday and Christmas checks to the ungrateful ones?  We must conclude that those who don’t acknowledge gifts have not been well trained by their parents—who happen to be our very own children.
  
At our age, we never know when some medical disaster will strike.  So, before that happens, we want each and every grandchild to know that we love  them.  Who knows what troubles they will experience  as they struggle through school, work, marriage and raising children?.  Perhaps, at some low moment, they will feel cheered to think they had a grandparent who cared enough to remember them on every single birthday and at Christmas time.   As a matter of fact, I went to a funeral  years ago, and the grandson who gave the eulogy mentioned that his grandmother always sent him a birthday card, even though he lived in Japan and only visited her once a year.

Some of our grandchildren live nearby, and we see them often.  Naturally, we will form stronger bonds with the ones who live close than with those who are thousands of miles away.  Then, too, there are issues like divorce or in-law problems that affect the way our grandchildren feel about us. 

But as long as we are able, we’re going to keep sending those cards or  checks to all of them.