Life is an ever changing thing. Each day brings new wonders for us to discover. If we take a step back and try to look at things from a different perspective, we can discover things we never noticed before in our every day routine.

We tend to get comfortable or in a rut in regards to certain aspects of our lives. We sometimes take for granted that things will always be the same and that people will always be here; yet in the back of our minds we know that is not true.

It is hard to not take things for granted. It is so easy to fall into that trap. The sad part is that it usually takes a sudden drastic change in things that turns our life upside down for the worse to get us to realize we have lost something that meant something to us. We are, then, filled with regret at what has happened. We beat ourselves up over what we could have done instead of what we did. We can’t go back and change things, we can only go forward.

Every day I am reminded to never take anything for granted. How so? I live with a heart condition where my heart randomly for no reason will beat irregularly or sometimes stop. I have been told that any time that this happens I could suffer a blood clot or a major stroke. This condition usually happened to me several times a day, so there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t experience this. Each time it scares me a lot. But, I don’t let this stop me from doing anything. I have, however, learned to be extremely thankful and grateful for what God has given me even though there are things that I feel are missing from my life.

Look at your life. Look at the goodness that has been given to you. Embrace those things. Treat them with respect and nurture them so that you never take them for granted; instead help them grow and you will grow with them. That is what it takes to never lose those things that mean the most to you.

Gregory C. Johnson
~The Quiet Computer Guy