If you’re reading this, you’ve already won the lottery.
Not the financial one. (I mean that would be cool too, I guess…)
Though if you’ve got internet access and time to read emails, you’re doing better than billions of people.
There’s always a bigger jackpot out there. You woke up this morning. Your heart kept beating. Your lungs kept working. You’re here, conscious, experiencing another day in a universe that had no obligation to let you exist at all.
When things are going to shit.
…and they will, regularly, because that’s how life works.
It’s easy to forget how fucking miraculous it is that you’re even having problems in the first place.
Your biggest worry today might be a difficult client or a broken appliance or relationship drama.
But you know what you’re not worried about? Whether you’ll survive the night. Whether you have access to clean water. Whether bombs are falling on your neighbourhood.
By most measures in human history, by most standards across the globe right now, you’re blessed beyond comprehension.
You have problems that people in other times and places would trade their entire existence to worry about instead of theirs.
I’m definitely not doing that whole toxic positivity bullshit or pretending everything is fine when it’s not…
Your problems are real. Your stress matters. Your struggles count.
But perspective is everything.
Being grateful doesn’t mean you need to take your difficulties and smash it head first into a wall. (That could probably help though)
I’d say it’s more a recognising of the foundation of privileges you’re building those difficulties on top of. (Oh no he used privileges as a thing!)
You have today. You have this moment. You have consciousness, breath, possibility.
Don’t waste it drowning in what’s wrong. Use it creating what could be right.
Every day above ground is a good day. Make it count.
I was going to make up something fancy that relates to The Dark Knight’s “Not the hero we deserved, but the hero we needed.” quote but sometimes a little perspective and reality slap is all that we need to keep us chugging along.
I mean it’s nearly Friday and we’re still going strong.
Stephen Walker.
P.S. The Dark Knight is the best Batman movie of all time and I won’t be taking any replies to this.