I’ve written at length about seeking gratitude in every possible part of life. Sometimes, this is challenging to do for a number of reasons. The top two that come to mind for me are that it’s easy to take things for granted, and life can just be hard sometimes. For the most part, my writing on gratitude has been directly related to my interactions with the special needs and disabled communities. Today, I’d like to share this concept from a different perspective— my neighbor and new friend, “Stubbs.”
I’ve developed a fairly regimented daily practice every morning as a part of my “75 Hard” routine. The day begins with a run/walk for my first 45-minute workout, and leads directly into time focused on my Faith. As I sit on our front porch, there are a couple of things that happen each day without fail. I read a devotional, pray, and read a chapter or two from the Bible; I’ve come to cherish this time for a number of reasons.
I love the quiet and calm start to my day. I love the dedicated time for God before any of life’s demands can fight for my attention. I love that I am able, on most days, to be awake and outside as the sun rises.
Each of these components of my daily routine, although extremely valuable and important to me, are things that I could have predicted. I know from a logical standpoint that if I start my day with this routine, I am setting myself up for a day based in gratitude. One part of my mornings, however, has been an expected and pleasant surprise: my new friend, Stubbs.
Stubbs lives on our street. We’ve lived in the same spot for nearly two years, but I hadn’t met him prior to making this outdoor morning ritual consistent. He is probably in his late eighties or early nineties, requires a cane to assist him, and takes a little longer to communicate in his older age. As long as I’m on the porch by 6am, I am basically guaranteed to have a short conversation with Stubbs.
He clearly has some physical struggles going on, but he greets me with an infectious love for life every morning regardless. Not all that different from my experience with the special needs community, I find that I glean a refreshed perspective on life going into my day after speaking with him. I’d also like to add that these are not 15-20 minute conversations; he’s not dropping a “motivational quote of the day,” or giving me life advice. He simply portrays positivity and a genuine heart for everyone he comes into contact with.
“How’s the morning treating you?!” He’ll say as he slowly passes.
“Going great, how about for you, Stubbs?”
“Oh it’s another day from Him. Just…just trying to get my walk in before it gets too hot!”
This is the most important part of his day–getting that workout in. Throughout our brief conversations, I haven’t learned many specifics about his family, his views, or anything else we seem to be preoccupied with in our relationships. I do know, however, that he is grateful for every day and treats everyone with kindness. He leads a very simple life and clearly loves it. Without saying much at all, he provides me with a daily reminder to slow down. I find myself tempted to sprint through my routine, particularly the Bible and devotional reading, eager to attack the rest of my to-do list. The reality is that nothing is more important than savoring the little moments of life, being present with what you’re doing, and truly doing everything that you do with purpose and a clear intention.
You cannot “win” at everything you do in life. You cannot avoid the inevitable challenges that our world presents to us. You’re never going to please everyone. You can, however, choose to focus as much as possible on the gifts of each day. You can choose to put your best foot forward in everything you do, and to do right by others. In just 30 seconds a day, someone who is mostly a stranger to me reteaches these concepts to me. I hope we can all strive to be a little more like Stubbs.
