On the wall in my kitchen, there’s a sign that reads:
Being grateful for what we have turns what we have into enough.
I read it every day and tell myself I’m grateful.
I have a roof over my head, a comfortable bed to sleep in, food to eat, and a family that loves me. I am blessed.
Last week, I realized I wasn’t really grateful.
My husband and I live comfortably in a 41-foot Class A Motorhome. We are currently parked in a resort in Arizona near the hospital where he works as a travel nurse. While he is at the hospital, I work on my freelance copywriting business at my desk.
Everything we need for daily living is right here in our coach. It even has a washer and dryer!
About a week ago, our water heater quit working. This has happened before, so we weren’t overly concerned. It had been working well for about nine months, and we hoped whatever had caused it wouldn’t happen again. In the past, it began heating up within 24 hours.
After two days with no hot water, I was ready to call an RV Tech.
Before I could call, our 12Volt power went out.
It happened late Saturday evening. I had already decided to call a tech for the water heater on Monday morning. Now, there would be additional repairs needed.
My husband spent most of Sunday trying to figure out what caused the issue. I worried more about the effects.
Not only did we have no hot water, but we were also without air conditioning. None of the lights worked. We couldn’t bring in our awning if high winds come in – which they often do in this area. The TV antenna was out, and we had no signal. Everything that was powered by the 12V system was out!
I focused on what I had lost.
By Sunday evening, I was beyond frustrated. I was angry. At my husband, at our motorhome, and at everything that crossed my path.
Then, I looked up and saw the sign, reminding me to be grateful. I just stood there staring at it.
I felt ashamed and realized that I was only focusing on what was no longer working, what had been – even if only temporarily – taken from me.
I started thinking about what we had.
Even though we had no lights, we had a couple of battery-powered lanterns to illuminate the rooms. The strip lights over the slides worked because they are powered by the 50 amps we get from the electric pole at our site.
The stovetop, microwave, and refrigerator still worked. Our food wasn’t spoiling, and I was able to prepare our meals.
All the outlets worked so that we could charge our phones and laptops. The space heater, humidifier, and air purifier were plugged in and working.
During the day, when it heats up, the windows all open, and our fans move the air around. We can sit outside under the awning and cool off.
Without hot water, I used the stovetop to boil water to wash dishes. The resort has a large shower house, and we take a daily walk there to clean up – just like we did many years ago when we camped in our little pop-up trailer.
The sign reminded me to be grateful. I changed my mindset and looked at what I had, not what was missing.
I know that I am blessed and have more than many others around the world. People without clean, safe drinking water. People without a comfortable place to sleep, food to eat, or even a way to cook it!
Being grateful for what I have is much better than being upset and angry over what I don’t. I am thankful for my grateful reminder.
PS: The RV tech is here to diagnose the problem. I’ll try to feel grateful when I see the bill!
