Gratitude Without Cake
Gratitude Without Cake: Reflections on Work, Discipline, and What We Create
Today is my birthday. We didn’t do much today. There weren’t balloons or cake, partly because I didn’t want either since I had indulged a lot this past weekend, but also because my husband is working nights and is completely exhausted. As I drove home from taking the kids to practice on our 20-minute drive, I watched him fall asleep in 10 minutes, not something he can normally do in the car. I know he’s exhausted. We’re on opposite schedules, and I don’t want to make too much trouble for him. Plus, I am tired all the time now thanks to perimenopause, and I lack the desire to do much. My allergies are so bad where I live that I deal with constant symptoms, making going out almost unbearable at times, and food is hard to eat without exacerbating them.
As I glanced over at my husband, I started to feel sorry for myself because my birthdays are often boring. Last year, we had to go look at last-minute rentals because our cross-country job fell through right after our house sold and all of our belongings were in boxes.
Then, as I was cooking dinner, I realized that maybe instead of looking at what I didn’t have happen on my birthday, I should look at what I do have.
