What Things Matter the Most to You in Life?

I’m reminded of a story that I heard some time ago. A new patient came to see the doctor and the nurse put him in a room and told him to get undressed and put on a gown. The patient said, “I don’t need to undress. I just want the doctor to look at my toe.” To which the nurse replied, “Our rule is that everyone undresses.” The patient responded, “This is a dumb rule, making me undress to look at my toe.” Then a voice from the other room came loud and clear, “That’s nothing. I came to fix the telephone.”


You may be wondering how this story fits into the subject of this paper, but the answer is  quite simple. You see life is comprised of major events combined with many more minor events which tend to provide balance in our lives. For example, I could name many major things that are important to me, but the reality is that there are things that I take for granted without which my life would not be nearly as rewarding. The story illustrates one thing that I treasure which simply put is to be heard and appreciated for my thoughts. The nurse was so busy making the practice run smoothly and implementing rules that she assumed would fit every circumstance that she didn’t listen to the patient or telephone repairman’s concerns. I want to be listened to even if what I have to say might not seem important or interesting.


The following 25 items may seem unimportant to the readers of this post but to me they represent some of the little things in my life for which I am grateful, and my life would be lacking some enjoyment without them. They include such things as: soap, indoor toilets, lightbulbs, microwaves, garbage pickup, clouds in the sky, the sun shining brightly, rain on my rooftop, cherry pie, barbers, peas, hot chocolate, marbles, basketball, tires, roller skates, toilet paper, toy wagons, rocks to throw, sunflower seeds with shells that I can spit out of my mouth, pigtails that I pulled as a child, funny stories, bubble gum, playing tag, alligators, and hundreds perhaps thousands of things I haven’t mentioned or I have forgotten about.


My life is so much more complete when I stop for a moment to appreciate the small things with which I have been blessed. But I also have many things that have contributed to me becoming who I am today and what I want to be tomorrow. 


While all these things are meaningful to me, many of them are still works in progress, but I know that if I can develop them, I will become closer to the person I really want to be.


FAMILY is without a doubt the greatest blessing I have received (of course this is not to downplay other important aspects such as my faith, education, career, etc.). Family is the most important and meaningful component in my life but without those other aspects that I just mentioned raising a family would not just be a challenge but an impossible task.  


I honestly hope that each member of this unit knows how much they mean to me and that my life would not be complete without them. I believe that a family that eats chocolate chip cookies together sticks together. That’s not to say that my family is held together by cookies but rather these cookies are important in creating togetherness, appreciation, love, and because they are usually served during special moments, they represent gratitude for sugary treats and for great times celebrating togetherness.


It has been said that a family is like an umbrella in the storms of life. That is to suggest that when the storm hits, family members surround each other and provide protection and comfort and help to get through these storms. It’s kind of like the pioneers who crossed the country in covered wagons. At night they circled their wagons to protect themselves from dangers.


I cannot fathom life without family even in times of frustration, anger, grief, disappointment, and the terrible twos. We have been blessed to have great examples of love and kindness and hope and optimism from those who went before us, and I give thanks to them. As a husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather I am so grateful for my posterity and the lives they are living. I can’t imagine any greater blessing. I hope that each of them understands that family happiness means we let go of the expectation of perfection and that I love, respect, and appreciate each member as they are. I love my family and I don’t know what life would be like without them.



Happy Failing Forward,