Several weeks ago I injured my knee while doing some work in my yard. Happily, the injury wasn’t too serious, but I was pretty sore for a while and had to change my activities.
Running was definitely not an option for a couple of weeks. As I worked back up to running by walking, I was much more aware of how uneven the pavement is on my road or anywhere I walked. I could feel the varying height differences in my knee as I walked. Little twinges of pain also alerted me to when I was twisting as I moved. I never realized how much work my knees do to help me walk, and I am much more appreciative of them now.
This injury left me wondering what else I take for granted. Often, I don’t notice how helpful things are until they stop working. My washer recently stopped spinning partway through a load of laundry. With now dripping laundry, I was very happy my dryer was still functional, but I still had to find someone to fix my washer. The reliable repairmen I used in the past both retired, and I had not been able to find someone else with whom I was happy.
Had I been appreciative enough toward the repairmen before they retired? Now that my washer is working again, I am grateful that it spins and for the new repairman I found. But, how long will I stay grateful? Eventually, I know I will take my washer for granted again and I probably won’t think much about the repairman until something else breaks.
Are there additional people I take for granted? A friend and her family are moving to another state, and, unfortunately, I haven’t spent much time with her lately. We used to work together in the children’s program at our church, but then we both got involved helping in different ways. I would see her in passing and would chat occasionally, but I rarely took the time to really connect with her even though I thought about her regularly. When I found out she would be moving, I realized how much I will miss her and I wished I had put forth more effort in our friendship.
Going on the recent Open Doors Tour of various historic sites in the downtown area reminded me of how neat it is that our community values our history. We regularly hear about all the great architecture in Columbus, so it’s easy to overlook these buildings, forgetting their significance and the effort needed to preserve them.
So, how do we keep from taking things for granted? I don’t know that we can completely, but we can try to be more mindful of the many blessings and opportunities we have. Some ways I do this include taking care of my body, enjoying my various physical activities and telling myself I am grateful for my washer when I use it. Regularly writing down what I am grateful for helps, too. I can also refer others to the repairman I found and use his services again. To appreciate my friends more, I can make time to reach out to them now instead of just thinking about them. For our community history, I can support activities that preserve that history.
You probably have different things you take for granted than I do, but spend some time figuring out what you overlook and determine a way you can be more appreciative.
Susan Cox is one of The Republic’s community columnists, and all opinions expressed are those of the writer. She is a mother, an adjunct instructor of English at Ivy Tech Community College-Columbus and a substitute teacher for Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. She can be reached at editorial@therepublic.com.
