Lucky girl

By Lisa Canape

HappyNews Citizen Journalist

"I'm the luckiest girl in the world!" she declared passionately. They were not exactly the words I had expected to hear from a young person without a family or home and in transition to be placed with new foster parents.

I had to bite the bait. "How so?" I asked inquisitively.

Her response was made with conviction, "I've never broken any bones!" I thought to myself, that I too, had never broken any bones. And yet, I've never really felt as excited about that fact as she did. She continued to talk about how many people have broken their bones through sports or accidents and how her body has always been strong and powerful enough to permit her to do all the things that she enjoys doing.

Her words have resonated in my mind over the years whenever I've felt dissatisfied with certain aspects of my life. It is so easy to be disappointed about the things that we perceive to be lacking. It hasn't been natural for me to fully experience delight in all that was going well. Often times in thinking of body image, it's the extra few pounds that is carried or the less than perfect shape that consumes our attention. How little thought is given to the miracle of our bodies to perform all of the tasks required to give us the enjoyment that we experience on a daily basis.

Experiencing gratitude isn't the same as believing, and although what you have may not be the best, at least you are better off than others. Even thoughts such as those could set you off into a negative cycle.

For example, I am not a top notch athlete and never will be, but at least I have the ability to walk. Some people cannot walk. Therefore I should be grateful that my less than perfect legs can get me where I want to go. This does not work, because eventually I begin to think about the athletes with disabilities who can do more without the use of their legs than I can do with the use of mine.

The lucky girl didn't waste her time in comparing her situation against others whether favorably or negatively. It didn't matter if others had more than she did, nor did it make her feel better to think about those who had less. She marveled at all that she had, and when you really thought about it—all that she had was truly marvelous.

At times, I have lived my life in pursuit of the carrot at the end of the stick, ever chasing a goal that was not attainable while ignorant to the sweet grass that was always at my feet. This is not to suggest that reaching for goals is undesirable rather than to emphasize the love of the journey, regardless if we reach our goal or not. A brief encounter with a young girl many years ago has really touched my life in immeasurable ways.

I am so lucky!

This story was produced by Happynews Citizen Journalist, Lisa Canape. Canape is a licensed clinical social worker residing in Salt Lake City, Utah

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