Avoiding the Treadmill

I have been trying hard of late to cultivate a habit of reflecting on things, both great and small, for which I am grateful.

Part of this is an effort to stave off the free-floating negativity of the Great American Economic Hangover.

Part of it comes from awareness of the concept of the hedonic treadmill—that we get used to improvements in our lives and quickly come to take them for granted.

And yet another part stems from knowing that we have been through so much really, really hard stuff that any day that doesn't feature an emergency room, or intensive care, or a blood draw, or an IV, or anesthesia, or arthralgia, or chemo, or nuclear medicine, or radiation therapy, or needles in my stomach—or any of the other individually difficult but collectively overwhelming experiences we've had—is by definition a mighty fine day.

Today was a mighty fine day. And I'm grateful.