When Life Gives You A Gift

When life gives you a gift, take it.  Yesterday my alarm clock went off at 6:00 AM as it does every workday.  Knowing there was a winter storm warning that covered the overnight hours I immediately went downstairs to check my telephone for messages and texts.  My employer had a three hour weather delay so I didn’t need to be at work until 11:00 AM.  I danced up the stairs and jumped back in bed.  My wife and I went back to sleep and didn’t wake up until 9:00 AM.  Being able to go back to bed, while it is still dark, on a day you don’t expect it, is one of life’s small gifts.  Yes, I would have been even happier if work had been called off entirely, or I could have called in and taken a vacation day, but you don’t quibble too much when any type of unexpected gift comes your way.  I am way past the age when I learned that it’s the small things in life that give me the most happiness.  In our culture extra sleep is worth its weight in gold.  Life often gives us gifts but we don’t always notice them.  In my life I have learned to appreciate any good thing that comes my way.  It could be extra sleep or a green light when I am in a hurry or running late.  If you want to be happier in your life, learn to be grateful.  There are certainly enough daily trials that test most of us.  On a recent episode of “Downton Abbey”  Lady Grantham, also known as Granny, said “Life is little more than a series of problems to be solved”.  Yes, that is a little pessimistic but not totally untrue.  Life is challenging so when it gives you a gift, receive it with gratitude and go back to bed.