My 401K is rather lean these days. I don't see my daughters all that much. My best friends are a few time zones away and we seldom talk. My house isn't quite the way I want it. My joints hurt more than usual and my eyesight isn't as strong as it use to be. But here's the thing, I DO have a 401K. I DO have two beautiful and amazing daughters. I DO have a best friend(s). I DO own my home. I DO still run and snowboard. And I can still see all the amazing things and people in my life. Right now I'm sure all of you can think of five things you thoroughly enjoy. It can be as simple as being able to watch your favorite TV show. Maybe it's a particular Starbucks coffee or a certain activity like photography or running or finding a secluded spot to read a book. Maybe it's your dog or your kids. A favorite location. Anything. Ok, got it? Now, imagine that NONE of them are available to you, EVER! All those things you enjoy I can guarantee you seldom put a second thought to. They're the creature comforts you enjoy and you'll almost never think of them in terms of good fortune or a blessing. They just happen to be there for you to enjoy, but imagine if they weren't?
I think we all experience a lot of crap in our lives and it easy for us to harp on all this misfortune because it seems to make the most noise in our lives. Short of having a baby or winning the lotto, it seems that most all the really good things in life come to us in quiet, unassuming ways. I guess it's easy to take for granted the good things in life because in a way that's how things should be, or at least we hope they would. No one wishes for adversity. We all long for the simpler life but we overlook the good fortune we do have because it doesn't stir up our emotions they way bad things typically do. Maybe I need to take that same energy that comes from seeing my retirement plan take another hit and apply that energy to the good things that happen to me every day. Even something as simple as the seasonal red Starbucks coffee cups. If you have something that warms your heart and puts a smile on your face, then brother/sister, you're living the good life.
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