My County Medical Society sends an email each week from the Physician Wellness Program. It’s a medical society service for physicians in need of support. A topic that emerges now and then is gratitude. I must confess that gratitude isn’t something upon which I dwell. Still, there are many things for which I am grateful – rain for one. I love the sound of rain – a gentle falling of water droplets or a stormy downpour. Both make me want to relax and fall asleep. On the way home from Estes Park this past Thursday, I drove for several hours through a downpour that slowed the highway traffic to 10 mph. The driving rain limited visibility to perhaps 200 feet. It was a test of patience to be sure. Needless to say, I didn’t get to sleep during the rainstorm.
During our Estes Park family vacation, Susan and I found several things trying. For one, the master bedroom en-suite had a water closet with no door. Yep, you could walk into the bathroom area to brush your teeth and see your partner seated upon the throne – not the most romantic image. Then there was the refrigerator whose left door did not close properly without an extra forceful slam; of course, left ajar, it did not sound an alarm of any kind. Then there was our accommodation at the Homewood suites – a nice bedroom with a kitchenette and bathroom that had no exhaust fan.
We arrived in our own home last night. We unloaded the car, petted cats, and snuggled into bed waiting for the thunderstorm that the Weather Channel app had promised. The storm arrived around 2AM.
Today, Susan expressed her gratitude. “We’re home, and our water closet has a door and an exhaust fan, and the refrigerator sounds an alarm if we fail to close it properly. It’s good to be home.”
Indeed.
I’m grateful that my kid grew up to be an honest and decent person.