Perspective

Project 365 * 2 -- Day 98

     I have a confession. I'm afraid it's quite embarrassing. I've been watching 7th Heaven on Amazon Prime for the past few weeks. I had just finished Parks and Rec, and Downton Abbey. I was in need of a new show to watch. Sometimes, I like to put a little bit of time in between my rotations of The Office, Seinfeld, Parks and Rec, and now, Everybody Loves Raymond. It's a great way to unwind. Lately, my nights have been some variation of this: Bathe Tobin. Nurse Tobin. Put Tobin down to bed. Bathe Addy. Read lots of books. Put Addy down to bed. Workout. Come home, and clean the kitchen. Pick up all the toys. Do some laundry. Write my blog. Go to bed. Read a bit. Then, I turn on a show. I usually watch at least one show before bed.

     Anyways, 7th Heaven is not meant to be a funny show, but it is so hilarious. The acting is just awful. Actually, the show is just awful. And so corny. It's one of those things where it's so bad, and I hate it so much, that I love it. And I can't stop watching it.

     However, last night's episode dealt with the subject of the Holocaust. There was a Holocaust survivor that guest starred on the show. As she was telling her story, I kept thinking of this word: perspective. It's the word I thought of all the time when I was a History student at Mason. One of my classes was on the Holocaust. I learned things in that class that taught me perspective. I heard things from survivors that taught me perspective. In fact, one of our last assignments was to write about the biggest thing we would take away from the class. I wrote mine on perspective. I wrote that I had dealt with anxiety my entire life. And that I was always afraid of something. I wrote that I used to think that dealing with constant anxiety was the worst thing in the world. And I was dead wrong. I wrote that in the grand scheme of things, that I had never had a bad day in my life up to that point, when compared with the lives of survivors of the Holocaust. I wrote that I learned to put things into perspective. And I learned that I was blessed.

     Funny how something silly like an episode of the worst show in the world can remind me that I am so blessed. Beyond blessed. Privileged. We have a beautiful home. We have healthy, happy children. And I get to stay home and raise them. I need a word bigger than "blessed" to describe the life I'm living right now.

     I am so thankful for my beautiful life. I am so thankful that my children are safe, and healthy, and happy. I'm thankful for family. I'm thankful for every day I have to spend at home with my children. Just thankful, tonight. Thankful all around. Thankful that 7th Heaven could remind me to put things into perspective.