Struggling to Feel Grateful? This Perspective Will Change That

Let me tell you about a man named Tom.

One year after a quadruple bypass—yes, you read that right—Tom was lacing up his sneakers beside me, getting ready to run an ultra marathon in the unforgiving South Florida sun.

Oh—and did I mention he’d had a stent put in two weeks earlier? Didn’t tell a soul. Just showed up. Quiet. Ready.

We stood at the starting line—68 years of grit wrapped in humility and a ball cap. It was hot, humid, chaotic. Tom didn’t blink. He just moved.

He finished 50 miles.

Fifty. Miles.

Most healthy 20-somethings couldn’t do that on a good day with a playlist and a Red Bull.

But Tom? He moved with something else entirely. Something deeper.

Somewhere mid-run, as his newly configured heart threw a tantrum, we stopped. We leaned against a railing and watched the water spill into the Atlantic.

That’s where he told me a story.

About a man in a small village who was forced to take in his in-laws after their hut burned down. At first, he was okay with it. But after a few weeks, it became unbearable. So he went to the village elder for advice.

The elder, wise but cryptic, told him to bring his chickens into the hut. Confused, the man did what she said. The hut became pure chaos—feathers flying, noise everywhere.

He ran back to the elder, pleading for a solution.

She nodded and said, “Now bring in your pigs.”

Now the hut was madness. He could barely think, let alone live. Desperate, he returned again, begging for relief.

She smiled and said, “Go home and remove the chickens and pigs.”

And when he did? Even with his in-laws still there, his home suddenly felt peaceful. Joyful. Like a gift.

The chaos had given him perspective.

Tom’s 50 miles was the chaos. The manufactured storm. And when it cleared? He saw beauty in every step afterward.

It was one of those moments that stopped me in my tracks—unexpected, undeniable, and impossible to ignore.

We forget that our baseline—the ordinary, the "nothing special" moments—is the gift.

Because here’s the truth: A healthy person wants a million things. A sick person wants just one.

Sometimes, we don’t realize how much we’ve been given until we strip away all the noise, all the expectations, all the extra.

Gratitude isn't just about the big, life-changing moments. It’s found in the smallest details:

• The first sip of coffee in the morning.

• A message from someone who just gets you.

• The way your dog’s tail wags when you walk through the door.

• A deep breath, effortlessly taken.

• The days that feel uneventful—until one day, you miss them.

So here’s your challenge this week:

Invite the chaos. Do something hard. Something uncomfortable. Push your limits. Run further than you want. Speak your truth. Start the thing you’ve been avoiding.

Then remove the chaos. Breathe. Sit still. Notice the peace in your ordinary. The way sunlight hits your kitchen table. The sound of someone’s laugh. The beating of your own heart.

Because nothing about this life is ordinary.

We just forget to see it.

Here’s to remembering.

Continue to live inspired,

P.S. Got your own “chicken and pig” story? I’d love to hear it. 🐥 🐖

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