Last night I woke up in the pre-dawn hour and as it often does, my mind immediately went to an assessment of my injuries.  Are they getting better?  Can I notice improvement?  This time was a little different though.  Rather than be discouraged by the presence of pain and discomfort, I forced myself to be appreciative.

Instead of “my knee still hurts”, my thoughts became “I can walk without assistance”

Instead of “my foot is sore”, it became “I have 2 feet and can wear normal shoes”

Instead of “my shoulder is bothering me”, “I have 2 arms and I can easily hug my daughter and pick her up“.

Instead of “I can’t train as hard as I want to”, I reconsidered the fact that “I can train with the hopes of recovery“.

It didn’t stop there.

Instead of “I have to get up at 4:00 a.m. to workout because I have to get to work by 7:30”, it was “I have a job that I like and I can live and support my family comfortably”

Instead of “My daughter continually wakes me up by coming and getting in the bed with me early in the morning”, I cherished the thought that she was safe and sound and home with me.

Instead of “I won’t be very competitive at an upcoming 5K obstacle race, nor at the Spartan Ultra Beast”, I was just appreciative that I will be able to participate.

Too many blessings.  Too many things to be thankful for.  Too many great things going on.

I could have played that game the rest of the night, but my point was made.  I don’t have time nor  the willingness to entertain negative thoughts and I needed that late night reminder.  We can probably all use that reminder every now and again.  As one of my deceased colleagues and someone who I often miss used to say “Onward and Upward!”