How's it going? - Day 15 of running streak, Day 12 of SFC*

Happy Thursday lunchtime, everybody!

So how's it going?  Are you having a good day?

If so, great!  Why are you having a great day?  It's funny that everyone asks why you're having a bad day, but never why you're having a great day.

Maybe it's because we want to have sympathy for others.  Maybe we want to compare our lousy day with theirs.  Maybe we're jealous.

So why has your day been great?

Did you get plenty of sleep last night?  Did you get enough?  Too much?  Did you wake up refreshed, ready to face the day?  Or are you dragging around because you didn't get enough?

Did you exercise this morning?  Or are you looking forward to exercising later?  Either way, I hope you do something.

Did you have something great happen today?  Get an email or a text from a friend that you didn't expect?  Get some good news?

Or are you just grateful for all of the good things in your life?

Do you have a nice lunch waiting for you, or maybe you're eating it while reading this?

Do you have plans for later today or tonight that you're looking forward to?

Or are you just happy to be alive and appreciative for all of the wonderful things in your life?

We all have struggles, every single day.  Finances can be a biggie.  Relationship problems.

We look in the mirror, and we don't like what we see.  We just want to go back to bed and pull the covers over our heads.

I get it.  I've been there.  Lots of times.

Here's the thing:  when you do that, when you give up, the problems get worse.  They don't go away.  Ever.

I will have problems tomorrow.  So will you.  So will everybody.

Maybe my problems aren't as big as yours, or vice versa.  That's really subjective, isn't it.

So here's what you do.  You get up, you get going.  You do something.  You think of something in your life to be grateful for, and you hang onto that for dear life.

In my case, I could have died six months ago.  I got lucky, went to the doctor, and had open heart surgery the next day to bypass an artery that was 99% blocked.  So I got to live.  That's what I have to hold onto.

My oldest son will be 14 on Monday.  I can't believe it.  He's as tall as me; can't believe that either.

And I almost wasn't here to celebrate that.  Or my 27th wedding anniversary coming up with the best wife anyone could ever have.  Or write this blog.  Or anything.

So in spite of all the crap going on, all of the problems, all the static, I hang onto that and run.  Every single day.  I eat better.  I sleep more.  I snack well, most of the time.

And I am grateful.  For every moment that I get to see my wife and kids, to sit in traffic on the way to work, to be annoyed by the news.

So I hope you're having a great day, for whatever reason.  And I hope if you're not, you can find something in your life to be grateful for.  Hold that in your mind, and get to work.

Today's run - 2.07 miles, verified by Nike + running app.