Dove for Men
I was soaking in the tub the other day, just relaxing and I turned my head to
the side and saw my bottle of Dove for Men body wash sitting on the ledge. I
became so filled with gratitude that I started sobbing.
It is my personal belief that Gratitude is the key to being happy in life.
I remember as a child and particularly as a young man, I wanted everything and
I wanted it yesterday. I became so fixated on having “things” because I was
always afraid my life would end quickly and I wouldn’t have had everything I
wanted and thought I needed. It took a hard lesson to get the mind set I’m at
today. I lost my car and almost lost my home because “things” were so important
to me. I argued with myself that I am sick, and I deserve to have everything I
wanted before it was too late.
I am grateful for that time in my life because it taught me such a valuable
lesson on what really is important in this world. I started sobbing when I saw
the Dove for Men bottle because I realized that there are people in this world
who are not so privileged to have hot water, let alone body wash. I appreciate
everything I have in my life now, which may not be a lot to some, but it is a
lot to me. I have no money, I’m living with my mother and I can’t afford to buy
any extra’s, but yet, I’m so happy! I have so much love around me that none of
that really matters to me anymore. I realized that if I was going to be truly
happy in this life, “things” had to take the back burner, to love.
I could start a list that would take literally forever to finish for all the
things I am grateful for. And I’m not going to try and start one because it
would get boring reading a mile long list of silly things that come to my mind, but lately, facing having to
get a lung transplant, I have become increasingly more appreciative of the
little things. Not that I feel like my life will soon end, but because someone
is going to have to die so that I live. And I don’t plan on waisting that precious
opportunity to carry on their life somehow. And I believe that gratitude leads
to contentment. Contentment leads to true happiness.
It kind of makes me annoyed when I read my Facebook sometimes and I see all my
young friends longing for the weekend, longing for another good drunk. They are
so consumed with that temporary source of happiness that they are missing out
on the big picture in life. And I’m not saying anything negative about them or
what they do, I’m just grateful to be in a place where I no longer need those
things to be happy. I’m confident that if those people had to face what I face
every day they would probably fall apart.
As crazy as this may sound to some of you, I am grateful to have Cystic
Fibrosis. I’m sure some of you are saying, what in the world? But stop and
think about it for a second. Not saying that any of you don’t appreciate the
simple things in life, or what you are not living to the fullest, but when you
have a life threatening illness, you want to make sure you have no regrets. You
want to make sure you make the right decisions today, that will affect your
tomorrow. CF is so up and down. One day you could be fine, literally a few
hours later or the next day, you could be on your back and unable to take care
of yourself. So living everyday like it is your last is the only choice you
have when you have CF.
What do I appreciate most in my life?
LOVE
And man do I ever have a lot of it in my life. And to be honest, people
under estimate what their love means to me. I don’t need big fancy gifts, but
little messages I get from all of you on my Facebook or via text message just
makes my life so bright!
Just recently my family and friends did a fundraiser on Facebook to raise money
for me to purchase this beautiful lap top I’m writing this blog entry on. I got
a pretty good one, and it’s my favorite color too, Orange! But you know what?
It’s not the lap top I’m most grateful for. It’s a gift you all gave me to be
able to express myself on this blog. This is my fourth entry and already I feel
so excited for this journey. So excited to be able to keep you all updated.
Thank-You Friends J
So take time each day to appreciate the simple and little things you have in
your life. I can 100% promise you, you will be happier. You will come to
appreciate what’s most important in life, and not find it so tough if something
were to happen where you lose your material possessions. So many people in this
world are far less fortunate than we are and we really should be grateful for
all the blessings in our lives. Even body wash!
“A person however learned
and qualified in his life's work in whom gratitude is absent, is devoid of that
beauty of character which makes personality fragrant.”
~ Hazrat Inayat Khan
xo
Jamie
Leigh Fransis
