Celebrating You

For me, last year was an important one, in that I learned an important lesson. I learned that flexing the muscle of discipline to CHOOSE to focus on gratitude changes everything. And to not only focus on it, but to speak it out loud to others, to practice it and make it a point to tell the people in my life why I am grateful for them, and to notice all the things in my life that are going well for me, big and small. 

If you think about it, there are literally thousands and thousands of things that go right for us all, everyday. This morning for instance, I woke up in a bed, inside my house, put my feet on clean carpet, had automatic hot running water. I was able to walk downstairs, I had choices to eat for breakfast, I spent time with my family. I drove my car filled with gas, to my office where the elevator carried me to the second floor, instead of plummeting to the ground… See what I mean? Hundreds of things go right for us every minute, every day. 

That’s one of my most important take-aways from last year. You can choose where your focus is. 

Last year I learned to appreciate the selfless dedication of nurses, orderlies, doctors and other health workers who risked their lives to save others. I thought about the dedication of truck drivers, grocery stockers, farmworkers and so many more who worked tirelessly to keep the economy from collapsing.

I smiled and was brought back to my teen years when I saw Drive-In Theatres making a comeback. 

I appreciated and was regularly impressed with the way many local businesses got innovative amongst their restrictions and setbacks. 

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not able to blissfully ignore all the political unrest we’re currently experiencing or meaning to undermine the fact that there are many people out there not as fortunate as me, and whose businesses are struggling despite all their hard work. 

But rather, I’m choosing to be a proud American, able to celebrate my freedoms, and to celebrate the people I’m surrounded by in my local community. People who will sacrifice their time to lift up a charity, service, or church they choose to support.  People who will stop when they see someone in need. 

Most recently, we were the recipient of such people. My daughter was hit by a drunk driver last week. Two individuals seeing the accident immediately stopped to help, as they saw a need. A stranger was hurt. No one stopped to ask what political affiliation we were, no one asked what our current opinions were on masks vs. no masks, no one asked what religion we were first… 

They saw what happened, and their impulse was to immediately pull over and help. They gave police their names and number, and one of them even went so far as to chase down the driver who somehow managed to crawl out of his window to make a run for it. A desperate attempt to escape the consequences of drunk driving. 

Right now, all of this: the civil unrest, the pandemic, the vaccine, the infection numbers, the politics, the economy… It’s a season. I’m not saying that it’s not important, nor am I saying that it hasn’t been devastating. But what I am saying is that when this season ends, like it or not, we are going to be left with each other.

I don’t know about you, but I want to come out of this season being known as a man who took the opportunity to celebrate the people around him. To be known for speaking to the care I have for each and every one of you. To not let a moment or a day go by without acknowledging how blessed I am to be surrounded by local heroes. 

Know that I am celebrating you, friends. You are the glue that holds our cities, neighborhoods, families and community together. Yes, sometimes it’s easier to put on our boxing gloves and take jabs at one another, at ourselves, or the “hand” we’ve been dealt. But words have power in the middle of a crisis. YOUR words have power amongst this pandemic. And I want my words to have the power to speak hope, and not panic. Encouragement, not agitation. 

Thank you for being in my life. Thank you for trusting me with your properties, your homes, your referrals. Thank you for being the kind of people to stop and pull over when you see someone in need. Thank you for being moms and dads and raising up the next generation. Thank you for being supportive friends. Thank you, police officers for protecting us everyday. Thank you, health care workers for being exhausted but continuing to persevere on the front line. Thank you, for being one of the many, many things that I have to be grateful for everyday.