Yesterday was a crazy day. In order…

1. I lost my keys after basketball practice (I volunteer for the local high school team). I found myself standing in the snow waiting to get them delivered from the person whose car I had dropped them in while waiting for the gym to open. This little fiasco put me about 45 minutes behind in my day.
2. It seemed like everything I attempted to do or complete had something pop up that threw it for a loop.
3. My 85-year old dad who is struggling with cancer got an infection on his leg. We needed to take him down to the doctor to have it checked and get an antibiotic. It was lightly snowing, but not sticking. By the time we got out of the doctor’s office and had the prescription filled, it was an all-out blizzard.
4. Cars on the highway were backed up and couldn’t get up either of the hills to my parents house. Barb (my wife) and I decided it would be best to stop at the local Dairy Queen to stay warm, use the facilities, and eat while the mess cleared up.
5. The mess didn’t clear up. After hauling my parents into the DQ, after eating we hauled them out of the DQ (no small effort), loaded them into my dad’s car which I was driving and gave it a try.
6. As we started up the hill, I saw a line of cars just like the ones I was driving on the side of the road. They had made the attempt up the hill without success. I pulled over into a local business parking lot and called my friend and client who has a truck to see if he could help us. He was still in town luckily and braved the traffic and storm to get us.
7. We hauled my parents out of the car in what was amounting to a blizzard, loaded them up and into Kevin’s truck, and he plowed up the hill to their home and we deposited them there.
8. Kevin then drove me home because neither my car at parents house, or my dad’s car were going to get me home.
9. I ended up at home alone with the dogs, without Barb and without my car.

The dogs and I decided to watch Netflix and turned on a Ken Burns documentary on World War II. As I watched the scenes and interview of a person who was in the Bataan Death March in the Philippines in 1942, I managed to gain some perspective on my day…

1. My keys were actually found. I didn’t have to make a whole set of new ones or walk home. The time and worry inconvenience was minor.
2. The minor distractions of my work day are not fatal. They are minor distractions.
3. My dad got his antibiotic in time to get working. Barb is with them to make sure their care is being well taken care of.
4. I have a terrific friend who had the means and motivation to help us in our hour of need.
5. I was at home with two dogs I love, a hot bowl of soup, a glass of wine, a brownie for dessert, and watching television. A large part of the county didn’t have power and of me writing this still doesn’t. There are many who own no home and have no food or shelter.

I get all of this, even when I’m going through the challenges. It seems to be much easier to understand it clearer after the fact when you are comfortable. I am happy for the constant reminders God seems to throw my way, like the Bataan Death March scene in the documentary, to jolt me back to reality.

As we head closer to Thanksgiving, I find myself with much to be thankful for. The majority of it lies with abundance of family, friends, health, and comfort. We all face major and minor challenges during our day, but if we can keep perspective of where we actually COULD be, then we will realize that we are actually quite lucky. If you are reading this on the Internet, I would automatically place you into a similar situation as me. Granted, I don’t know your own personal or professional challenges, but if you are reading a blog post online, my guess is you have more than most of the world. Heck, my dogs live better than most of the world!

Here’s to a little perspective…Cheers!

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