do you appreciate what you have?

[confused79]

Something i have seen today and been involved with has made me realise to appeciate that i have what i have and that i can do things for myself, can eat when i want can wash and dress myself and get out and about.

We often moan and groan about things and to me now they seem menial and pathetic.

Also as we all know on here people get in arguments about petty things.

I work in social services dealing mainly with people on the phone dont in my role normally get change to visit the clients who are all elderly and disabled.
Had that chance today and it has made me open my eyes even more.
How can we all moan when there are people who have to rely on stangers to feed them to wash them, who are all alone and have no one to love or be love by, have their day consist of seeing the same 4 walls and only have a knock on the door to look forward to so a cup of tea and sandwich can be made.
Just made me stop and think about living for today and appreciating it.
How do you feel about what you have in comparison.?

[4getmenot]

Oh yes definately. when I am down I think I have two arms two legs, many freinds a wonderful family and no there are others alot worse of then me :-)

[sunflower68]

Absolutely. Working in special needs makes me feel grateful every day : )

[sunflower68]

I meant to add, when things get me down I will just have a sit on the end of the bed and list all the things that make me lucky. I know it is a bit cheesy but it really does work

[China Doll]

I feel very blessed most days.

[radiogaga]

its funny how you have to experience what daily life is like for some folk before you can count your blessings. thats the case for me, i also provide support for those less able than us.
i wish some others on here had the same compassion i really do.....

[confused79]

i do too radio.
This poor lady i see bless her said she was happy when she had her husband to love then he died just when they retired then has dogs which she loved now that dog has died she said she has no one to love, now that really choked me up, having no one to love.
She never could have children and had no family, when we turned up the first words she said was she wanted to die, and i cant blame her for feeling like that she has nothing. and no one :-(

[tiny e.a]

Every time I am confronted with someone in a worse position then I am in I feel grateful, this happens on a daily basis, from seeing old people struggling on buses, to reading articles about people suffering at the hands of others, or even nature itself for that matter, to watching people walk past the Big Issue sellers without even ackonwledging their existence, to...the list is endless.

However, I am also prone to bouts of self pity, and ,while I know in the grand scheme of things I have nothing to moan about, I don't feel guilty for the way I feel when I'm down.

[legend758duo]

i posted the other day about the guy in the bar who had just heard his daughter had committed suicide .
he was inconsoleable and was crawling on the floor saying why not me.


he wasnt drunk just sitting there when he got the news

noone could help him and i realised then if that had happened to any of my children how i would feel too.


sadly we only feel lucky when we compare ourselves to someone worse off than us


day to day we get wrapped up in our own little lives

[yinyang]

My dad is not on his own, he has my mum and us but can now barely do anything for himself due to a combination of being too physically weak, losing most of his vision and having some damage to his brain where he will look at a tap or some other everyday object and have no idea how it works. Six months ago he was fine and loved taking my girls to the park, now somedays he can't remember their names.
My point is - none of us know what is waiting round the corner for us and we should be trying to make each day count as much as we can. Of course we all get annoyed by trvial things but what really counts are those we love. Appreciate what you've got because you never know when you will lose it. Tell people you love them and do things to make them happy.
Despite what I've said, my dad is not on his own, we are able to be there for him,we live comfortably and have access to good medcal care and there is not a day goes by when I'm not thankful for that. x

[DONNA1458]

Very few people stop to take a look at what they have got insted they look what other people have that they they wish they had. I write one thing down a day in my diary that i am thankfull for or something that happened that made me feel happy its great to look back on.

[legend758duo]

there are things in everyones lives that are constant.

reflect on them and you will never feel down

theres always something good in your life : -)

[yinyang]

But that's the point, Legend, we shouldn't take for granted that anything in our life is a constant - health, finances, or family can be taken from us anytime, as that man in your bar that lost his daughter proved. Yes, enjoy the things and people that bring you joy today but don't assume that they will always be there.

[legend758duo]

i never assume that

afterall ive been divorced
as many like to gloat about ti .
but on reflection it was a good thing.
the things ive done places ive been etc wouldnt have happened if i hadnt been divorced

nor would i have my son. whos the most important thing to me in the world .thats how i can relate to how the guy felt .
there but for the grace of god go we .

so theres always good in anythging bad

i prefer to be optimistically pessimistic.

if thats possible : -)

[leelapops]

Amen to that!
Every time I walk the dog at night, I look at the stars, and they always make me feel so humble, and grateful. I can see my surroundings, things beautiful AND ugly, hear music that I love, feel the sun on my skin, or my dog's fur when it tickles my nose, I can walk, I can talk (much to some people's annoyance!), I have great family, fab friends, somewhere to live, a job I love, motivation. Need I go on? We are so fortunate, most of us, and so many people just take that for granted.

Damn are we lucky!

[yinyang]

There is good in everything, if it wasn't for my girls and my husband I'd be dribbling in a padded room by now. That's why Im trying so hard not to take them for granted. Can't imagine how that guy felt; I think the thing that scares me most is something happening to one of my kids.
I would never gloat about someone's divorce. Just hope you've moved on from it as much as you say. Some of your more bitter posts make me wonder. Anyway, that's a subject for another time..

Apologies, confused, didn't mean to hijack your post. x

[confused79]

its ok yingyang.
I can be a right moaner and sometimes have self pity and i do try and think of people worse off than me, but seeing the lady today put in all in perspective.
I dont feel guilty about feeling down when i have but i will in future certainly think of that elderly lady and try to perk myself up. I have my sons who keep me going and a mum and brother.
She had no one.
I think without my sons i would also be in a padded cell, but in future i certainly will remember those alot less fortunate than me.

Also ill try to stop lifes silly bickers turn into major rows as its just not worth it.

[rom]

wow, confused79 thats such a sad story !!
reading this post has really made me think that i do complain an awful lot about nothing sometimes!!
i dont take my life for granted at all but sometimes i do think that we all need to take a look around and realise how lucky we are.
loads of things have happened in my past and i could have lost someone so very close to me so easily and i just sometimes am so thankful that everything worked out ok

[yinyang]

We all have feeling sorry for ourselves days, confused, it's just human nature. We also have to accept that lfe is not perfect and sometimes stuff come along that's just downright wrong and unfair and I think it's ok to be angry or sad sometimes.
As everybody has said,sometimes we just need to take a step back from where we are and look at the good stuff or reflect how fortunate we are to have been born at all.

[legend758duo]

im so over my divorce.

do i hate my ex wife ?

of course

nothing wrong with that.

i dont go out of my way to contact her to express my feelings.
ive got a busy enough life as it is .


im sure the feelings mutual so we carry on our seperate ways

never to meet


lifes good : -)

[cruella]

I work in the Care Sector and work on a daily basis with people you have just mentioned.
It does make you thankful for what you have but it often encroaches on your own personal life too.
Work does not finish when you get home.
Most of those people I have known for years, help them every day and cannot forget things when I come home. if a crisis occurs, or if they become very ill, they are constantly on your mind.
So, yes I do agree with what you said.
There but for the grace of God go I.