Balancing Being Grateful with Keeping Dreams Alive

I was glad to write down my dreams in last week's post and make it official.  It is inspirational to have goals and it can keep spirits high when life's responsibilities and to-do lists weighs you down.  But, on the other hand, aspiring to a better life may lead to negative thinking about the life currently being led.  And, I want to be clear that I have a very blessed life.  How does one balance out these two seemingly diametric thoughts?

The revelation that my current life is pretty good came from my first "run" of the season.  "Run" is in quotes, because I barely run, it is more of a run/walk/meander.  I live quite near a beautiful, large city park, and while it's no Central Park, it is still quintessential New York, without the annoying tourists of the Manhattan parks or the bums and drug addicts that may plague some of the outer borough parks.  We have the graceful Tai Chi devotees, the young men who rest along the edge of the park against their cars, the old men yelling at eachother as they "enjoy" a game of Bocce, and of course the dog walkers, the pram pushers, and the exercisers.  You can even see the Manhattan skyline.  And I realized that I don't need St. John to exercise, although a Carribbean dip and a hike through the tropical forests would be nice. 

In a way, this is as nice as St. John

All in all, I have so much to be grateful for.  I am healthy, I am employed, I have a home and a family.  There really isn't much to complain about, even though, of course, I do.  Spring is here, summer is near.  I am getting my new kitchen.  I live in a beautiful town in a, um, well, ethnically diverse borough (as lovely as my borough is, it would be stretch to call it beautiful) in a comfortable(ish) home.  It's nice to have dreams and plans of a better life, but it's better to enjoy the life you do have.