I’m so glad that I added this new category last week, because as I’m typing this, I haven’t been feeling much gratitude today and that is exactly when I know how important it becomes to find something to be grateful for.
That being said, what I’m most grateful for today is that I still have my eyesight and hearing. Knowing there are over 285 million people in this world who have disabling visual impairments and over 360 million people who have disabling hearing loss is something I’ve thought about quite a bit lately. Sadly, I think far too many people usually take things like their sight and hearing for granted until something happens that negatively affects one or the other with significant loss. I honestly can’t imagine a life where I wasn’t able to see God’s beautiful canvas anymore that’s around us all the time, like the flowing rivers here that soothe my soul every time I’m by one and find myself staring out into their churning waters. It’s also difficult to imagine a life where I wasn’t able to see the faces of those I love anymore like my partner, my sister and her family, or my dearest friends. Similarly, it’s just as hard to fathom a life where I couldn’t hear those sounds of nature anymore, like the roars of the ocean or the chatter from all the living creatures. And frankly, I definitely have a really hard time fathoming a life where I couldn’t hear the voices of those I love anymore, which also includes the purring and tiny meows I regularly adore from my cat. These are all things I once took for granted and never gave much thought to. But through all the suffering I’ve been through in recent years, I’ve discovered a pretty serious amount of gratitude for things like my eyesight and hearing, which I’m sure those 645 million people on this planet who are disabled with one or the other would gladly have restored. So, thank you God for my eyesight and hearing and for having a much greater appreciation for two things that I never used to.
Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson