Ever thought how fortunate we are?

Think about this.

Look outside right now.

What's the temperature?

Eight degrees?  Fourteen?

Every morning, I wake, put on my robe and go into the bathroom for my shower and each day, as I turn the handle on the faucet, I think how magical and wonderful this is--that I can easily turn that handle and have as much hot, wonderful water pour out of the shower head  so I can get clean and warm up, both.

And then it occurs to me--daily, every day, seriously, honestly--how lucky we are to be living now, with our warm, comfortable beds and our equally-warm and comfortable homes, what with furnaces and all, through these bitter winters.

I don't take it for granted.  Not completely, anyway.

Really, think about it--it's only been about the last 100 years--a tiny fraction of time in humankind's existence--that we have these warm, comfortable refuges to return to each day, after working our mostly 8 hour day jobs.  Sure, some of us--heck, a lot of us--work more hours than that but still, the point is that there are a great deal of things we count on now that give us warmth and rest and peace and quiet and leisure time and we shouldn't take them for granted.

This seems like a great time to point some of them out and be mindful of them, this time when it's so bitterly, bitterly cold.

Are you as happy with your life as Jessica?

If not, why not??