Thankful

by Patrick Adams

Is it me or was that another crazy year? Is this the new normal? Maybe it’s just me who is going crazy?

We had basically two years where the world was shut down due to a “pandemic.” COVID is still around, but now we seem focused on other things. Like a recession, the stock market, real estate, cost of everything, labor shortages and oh yeah, let’s not forget about Russia and China rattling their sabres threatening a new Cold War, or is it a cyber war, or is it nothing at all?

I’m sitting in my backyard on a Sunday morning as I write this. We had a rare and odd rain last night and there is a hint of that fall crispness in the air. Birds are singing, my coffee is steaming and my morning cigar is quietly smoking near my chair. I find that I have this internal battle with myself more often these days.

On one hand, there is a lot of concerning data and information that I am processing. Given my nature, I tend to always be evaluating the environment around me and adjusting to manage (and prevent if possible) the “worst case scenario.” I know how that sounds, but from the life I have had it is something that just happens in the background of my mind. These days however, I find myself for the first time in my life feeling like I want to shut off the noise. Actually not know what is happening in the world around me because it just feels like too much data that ends up not leading to a conclusion. Take COVID for example. What did we learn, where do we go from here and what happens next to make us more prepared? Not sure … nobody seems concerned about those questions. It just kind of stopped … without stopping.

However, on the other hand, I have also learned to trust my instincts. And in these days of news chaos, what do my instincts tell me? I am scared or concerned? Do I fear for my family and friends? Is that sixth sense telling me that it’s time to gear up for another battle? Strangely, no. Our business remains healthy, the industries we serve remain cautiously optimistic as there is still far more demand than can be serviced for the necessities they provide this nation and overall, things are good.

But I learned a long time ago that when there is conflicting information that clouds my ability to form a confident plan, not to force a decision. Instead, I go back to what I call my foundation. My foundation is what I start every day with, and end every evening with and it’s simple. If I wake up, the first thing I do is think about how thankful I am that I have another day because honestly, I never expected to live this long. If I make through the day, the last thing I do before I fall asleep is give thanks that I made it through another day. That I had the chance to work and provide for my family and team. That maybe I did something to make a positive difference in the world around me. That I have the privilege of serving these great industries and the amazing men and women who serve in these fields. This is what brings me peace and calm in the midst of chaos.

I’ve also learned that in spite of my best attempts, that control is an illusion.

I can’t change the world’s illogical approach toward a pandemic, nor can I impact how the nation manages global threats. I can’t make costs go down, nor can I make young people passionate about dedicating themselves to a profession. Instead, I try to take the approach of “until it is at my front door, it’s not a problem worth worrying about.” This is mostly figurative (although if Russia shows up at my front door, it would be a literal problem to deal with) but helps me put things into a more healthy perspective. For all of our worrying about things, how often do those things ever come to be, or provide us with actionable data? Rarely in my experience and yet, we allow this worry to rob us of living in the moment where we usually find the most peace and happiness.

So, moving forward I’m going to work very hard at giving myself the gift of being thankful. Not just when I wake up and not just when I go to sleep, but all day. We can all make the choice of the lens to view our world through and I’m choosing being thankful for the countless things that we all should be thankful for. Living in this great country where it is still better to be an American than live anywhere else on Earth. Having our health and another day to try to do better than yesterday. For having something greater than ourselves to serve.

As I get to this point of writing, my kids have come outside with our newest member of the family, the other extreme of our German dogs, “Winnie” the dachshund (kids think it stands for Winnie the Pooh but it’s actually short for Winchester). I’m watching the kids chase Winnie, as Winnie chases our 100 pound, protection trained German Shepherd, Kimber, who is running around like she’s a poodle puppy. There are laughs and all four of them are already wet, and muddy, and having a blast as I see my wife look out the window and shake her head with a s mile as I’m sure she’s thinking about the disaster of clean up as all four are likely moments from storming back into the house.

When I look at life through this lens, it’s almost impossible for me to understand how I became so blessed. I wasn’t supposed to have this life, and I’m certainly not deserving of it. But, I am thankful that it somehow found me. I’m thankful for each of you as well because serving readers with content has been one of the great joys of my life. How each of you live, run your businesses and openly share your stories serve as my inspiration to be deserving of your generosity.

As we start this new year, take a moment, borrow my “new lens” and look at your life through it. Now take a “picture” of what you see and hold on to it. I hope this image carries you through a wonderful, and thankful year with those who matter most in your lives.