A Matter of Perspective

Have you ever noticed how much the little things in life really can make a big difference?

I am thinking today about the thumb on my right hand. Just a little thing. It’s of no consequence. I could probably live without it, right?

Yes, it is true, I probably could live without it. But let me assure you that it would not be done without difficulty.

I may have written about my left thumb a few years ago. I had “trigger thumb” and it was awful. My thumb would bend and then stay stuck and I would be in agonizing pain. I would nearly scream when trying to unlock it.

Through a lot of painstaking bending and flexing it, I was finally able to get the trigger thumb to go away.

Unfortunately, a couple of months ago, my right-hand thumb began to lock up. Trigger thumb again.

This time it is far worse than the left-hand thumb was because I am right-handed. I have like zero strength in the right hand because of the thumb. It is nearly impossible to hold onto something with any amount of certainty that I won’t drop it. I have to maneuver to open a bottle of water! Doing dishes is a task in bravery because of the possibility I could drop every single dish!

I am sure others have it worse than me. People who don’t have thumbs. People who don’t have hands or arms. There are people who live with constant pain. I am quite lucky that the only thing that is giving me a lot of pain is my little thumb!

Gratitude about little things can lead to a healthier world-view!

The thumb is a little thing but being grateful that I don’t hurt more or in a significantly larger area of my body makes it a big thing!

I hope that this week you will take a few minutes each day to be grateful for the little things in life!