Recently my hot water heater broke and I woke up to a cold shower.  We called a friend who does repairs and he, with no hesitation, came over and had it fixed before I was done eating breakfast.  I hopped in the shower and was only 1 hour late for work.  I couldn’t help thinking how lucky we are to have the luxury of knowing someone who had been able to help, but that we even have hot water on demand at all times.  It is something I take for granted and seldom think about.

The over abundance of luxury and things we have become accustomed to, have made our lives easier and less meaningful.  The fact that hot water is expected and a must has completely eliminated the respect for it.  We are living in a world where we have access to everything at our finger tips and it is actually easy and therefore requires little to no effort.

The satisfaction of actually working hard for things has been diminished, leaving us lost and asleep.  We only have to work as hard as we want in a world where everything is expected and given.  It makes hard work appear daunting and tiring when we don’t have to do it to survive.  Most of us have everything we need for survival, beyond that is extra and can really be viewed as unnecessary.  In fact that very attitude has left me feeling ungrateful and spoiled.

Now when I run my bath with hot water, I am reminded of how unnecessary and lucky I am to be able to fill a whole tub of steamy hot water for myself.  It is the little things like ice cubes, toilets, central air and hot water that we are lucky for.

Today lets practice gratitude together and show appreciation for the simple things in life.

What are you grateful for?