Dana Point- Mobile Photography Art by Tracey Grumbach

The beautiful view from the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel

You know the Let Her Go song lyrics by Passenger that go:

Well you only need the light when it's burning low
Only miss the sun when it starts to snow
Only know you love her when you let her go
Only know you've been high when you're feeling low
Only hate the road when you're missing home
Only know you love her when you let her go

Well, I find this true with so many things in life. The old saying is that we don't know what we've got until it's gone. The challenge in life is to know and appreciate what you have while you have it.

My cousin's devastating accident has reminded me, and by the amount of support they have, a lot of other people as well, to stop and appreciate every single minute before it is gone.

The other day I was starting to get agitated with my kids. I was picking up around the house and I found a cookie container open and empty sitting on a pantry shelf. All the cellophane ripped off and the empty container just sitting there when the trashcan is three steps away. I guess they think I can and will throw it away. Why bother with the three steps?

Then I noticed a dirty hand print on the wall. A perfect brown dirt handprint right on the corner of the wall as if a little one rounded the corner in a hurry and grabbed the wall with his/her dirty hands for support. Something else for me to clean up. Grrrrrr.

I began to look more closely around me. I allowed myself to see things I normally block out as every day messes...the dog and cat hair balls on the floor, the nose smudges on the windows from the house animals looking out. Glancing outside I noticed the annoying and ugly construction fence that is still in place after several years. We still have not completed our house. Just below the window I was looking through was a sink full of dishes. Ugh.  The list went on.

But as my irritation grew, the song lyrics of that Passenger song popped into my head and I stopped, sat down and began thinking about my cousins. I bet my cousin wishes that instead of being in the hospital with her two critically injured children, she was home again cleaning up after her two teens. I bet she would give anything to see empty cookie containers, smudges on the wall, and dog hair balls rolling across the floor instead of beeping hospital equipment. And in that moment of realization all of the things that were annoying me instead became a blessing.

The open cookie container and the handprint on the wall meant I had happy, healthy children running around the house to make messes. The pile of dishes and laundry meant I had enough food to feed my family and enough clothing to keep my family warm. The wet dog nose smudges on the windows and the dog/cat hairballs rolling around the floor meant that we had healthy loving pets to add joy to our lives. The construction fence meant that I had a warm, safe, beautiful home being built into my dream home, even if it is baby steps at a time.

Once I changed my perspective on all of these things, I realized just how much I have. I am so blessed to have a house filled with a loving husband and four children. I am blessed to have three cats, a dog, and a horse. I am blessed to have construction mess around my house.  It means we are living a happy, healthy, normal life when many others out there don't have the same privilege.

It's all about perspective. What is one annoying or bothersome thing that you come across today that you can change your view on?  Think about your own self dialog today and see if you can catch yourself into be thankful for the mess instead of angry about it.

Have a wonderful day and pass on love.
xo