Let’s face it, life is challenging. Getting older is not a lot of fun either. Then add caring for a loved one with a progressive illness. It’s amazing any of us get out of  bed each day, yet we do. In my case, I understand that alongside the challenges I will face today, I will also find moments of joy. Each new day brings a promise of pleasant as well as difficult times and I wouldn’t want to miss those. So I congratulate myself on my resilience as I climb from those warm covers and get busy with the tasks of the morning.

It is not unusual for me to beat myself up for what I think I am doing wrong but I seldom take the time to count the number of things I do right in a day. I remember grumbling at my husband yesterday, but then I also helped him with his shoes and rubbed his feet for him. I helped with his physical therapy exercises and put away his exercise mat. I gave him a kiss for no reason at all other than I loved him. If I put all my daily infractions in a bucket and then put all my accomplishments in another, I know which would fill up first, why is that so difficult to acknowledge?

I believe that we are hard wired to remember our mistakes as a safety measure so that we don’t make them again. Whatever the reason, it is those missteps that haunt me in the middle of the night, so I am making a conscious effort to be more aware of things I do well. As it was said so brilliantly by AA Milne in the Pooh books, “You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” I think it’s time we all start patting ourselves on the back more, don’t you?