Lucky Man

I have a friend who has just been diagnosed with a serious degenerative illness. More than one friend is looking for a job--and not finding one. I know people who have a job but hate going to it. I hear about ungrateful adult children who take advantage, significant others with serious health problems, and people who live in bad neighborhoods. I know of several bad marriages and at least a few folks who would love to be married--if they could just find the right person.

Some people live in war zones or in the path of Hurricane Irene. Some Texans haven't had a day under 100 degrees in three months. There are a lot of people living in Libya, Iraq and Afghanistan who haven't had a break in a long time. How many millions of people don't have enough to eat today?

I am currently experiencing NONE of these things.

I'm healthy, happily married, have two grown children doing fine, own my own roomy home in the greatest place in the world -- the San Francisco Bay Area (California, U.S.A.). I have a good job with a great company (with benefits). I have two wonderful Boston Terriers living with me.

I've got lots of fun stuff to do. I get to drive a new car every week and write about it. I belong to several groups, including a band, an orchestra and a chamber music organization as well as automotive associations. I blog daily and readership is growing steadily. I have enough money to live comfortably.

So what do I have to complain about? Well, my hair is getting gray and thin on the top. My foot hurts when I get out of bed (plantar fascitis) and sometimes my lower back is a little sore. I could lose 10 pounds. Sometimes Windows crashes on my laptop. I have to put up with slow drivers during my daily commute. One of my showers leaks and my lawn is dead.

Kind of puts things in perspective, doesn't it? I'm feeling very grateful today.