We sometimes become complacent and forget to be thankful for all of the blessings we have been given.
I was cooking dinner a couple of weeks ago, when my hubby approached me with his phone. He had a picture of a snake pulled up on it. He had just taken down the trash and found a small snake underneath it, he thought about killing it, but didn’t think it was poisonous, so he let it go.
But, after coming back into the house and finding pictures online, he knew it was definitely a Copperhead. They are poisonous and the little ones are supposed to be particularly dangerous because they don’t give a warning bite. They just release all of their venom when they strike.
We had a conversation with each other and our kids about being extra careful outside and not wearing flip flops or sandals in the yard. We talked about wearing closed toed shoes and watching carefully where we step. We talked about the importance of vigilance.
Over the next few days, every time I was out in the yard, whether picking blueberries or cutting hydrangeas, I was hyper-vigilant about where I walked. I didn’t zone out. I was constantly watching for the danger that may be lurking near.
At some point though, it occurred to me that I was in no more danger after the snake sighting than I was the day before. I was just no longer unaware.
Of course, I shouldn’t have been unaware to begin with. One of our dogs had been bitten by a Copperhead years before. She was thankfully okay, but it was in the fenced backyard. I had just chosen to become complacent. My hubby killed a really large one in our neighbor’s driveway.
How had I forgotten?
As the days went by, my fear of being bitten by a dangerous, ninja snake, every time I stepped out of my garage, morphed into a paying close attention stance. I stopped expecting danger at every turn, but didn’t walk around blissfully unaware either.
I was living in the moment, appreciating, but also respecting, my present circumstances. It turned out to be a gift because I began to truly appreciate the beauty around me.
I began to think about how tragedy or near tragedy, makes us take stock and really appreciate what we have, for a time. Sickness, loss or even death of someone we love, makes us savor and hold extra close, the many blessings we have been given. We become extra thankful, but life steps in and we get busy and we forget.
That Copperhead reminded me to live in thankfulness, perhaps you needed reminding too.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂