Thankful. That is how I feel today – really thankful. Thankful for my health. Thankful for my family. Thankful for my job. I am even thankful for my 2000 Nissan Altima; which is finally starting to show its age. Those miles are steadily starting to weather my primary mode of transportation. First it was my knock sensor. Then a screw worked its way free from the hinges on my driver’s door, thus preventing it from opening all the way. Then came the entire replacement of my brake system. And now, when I attempt to pump gasoline, the nozzle clicks continuously as if my tank is full (it is not), and oddly there is a little gas spillage underneath the bottom.

So Monday, I sat at my desk in disbelief, it appeared that more repairs were on the way. And for a little bit, I was bummed. But then I heard news of the shooting at the Washington, D.C. Navy Yard. Suddenly, I was snapped back to reality. Seriously, I didn’t have anything to be bummed about. So what, I have an old car that is going to be subject to wear and tear. It’s supposed to happen; it’s an old car. The Washington, D.C. Navy Yard – that’s not supposed to happen. Sandy Hook Elementary School – that’s not supposed to happen. The mass indiscriminate shootings that currently plague cities such as Chicago, Flint, and Detroit – that’s not supposed to happen. And so I sit here today…thankful. Because, a blessed gentleman understands that even if his own reality seems glum, there exists a truly somber, horrid reality that he has not experienced. And for that, he is thankful for the miniscule, insignificant worries that he has of his own.