The Good Life

For Dawn Q. Laundau’s 2019 Attitude of Gratitude Challenge:
5 January 2020

 
I’ve traveled a lot by air this year in spite of the fact that like John Madden of football fame I’m scared to fly. I made trips in April, May, July, August, and September earning significant miles credit.

I guess it was during one of those trips that I realized how good life is. It was when I was looking at the clouds through the window that it hit me.

“Wow,” I marveled to myself. “It’s kind of a miracle that I’m up here and I’m not even dead yet.”

A century ago, only a few souls would have thought that air travel was possible. In our time, it has become routine like going to the dentist..

To keep myself from being bored during that long trip, I closed my eyes and thought of things that make our lives wonderful. I was surprised that it didn’t take me a long time to make up the list.

You turn on the tap and water will come out. Just like that. You don’t need a well and muscle to fetch water for use in your home.

You turn on the heater on winter. You don’t need a fireplace to keep you warm.

You can wash your clothes for $5 at the laundromat without breaking your wallet.

You can have hot showers anytime you want to or cold showers if you’re brave enough.

You flick on a switch and the light will come on as if by magic.

You can cook gourmet dish in the microwave.

You can make love in a waterbed.

And the list goes on… Starbucks. Satellite TV. Smartphone. Internet. Homebanking. SUV. ATM. Laptop. WIFI. Xbox. Ipod. Ipad. Texting. etc. etc.

As I went through the list, however, I felt a sense of foreboding. These stuff have defined our way of life in such a way that we’d go to great lengths to ensure their preservation.

Is that the real reason why we go to war? In Iraq and in Afghanistan and elsewhere?

It was at that point that i opened my eyes. I felt the need to pee. and I mean it literally, folks. Ha-ha. As the season of goodwill is upon us, this isn’t the time to make a political statement.

I got off the plane on that day relieved that it didn’t crash. I had also become mindful of the blessings that I often take for granted. They are great to have for sure. Still, they are nothing compared to meeting you and you and especially you in this journey we call life. As Clarence, in the movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” said, “…No man is a failure who has friends.”