The Morning Pep Talk #17: GRATEFUL

"No matter how bad you've got it, be thankful, because somebody always has it worse than you."

- John Heeb

Good morning JWT Nation. This Pep Talk kind of wrote itself. I got a note from a nice lady named Krista that had a story she wanted to share. After reading her story, it reminded me of something my dad always used to say to me when I was a kid. So that quote at the top of the article is a genuine John Heeb original quote LOL, and it kind of goes right along with what Krista had to say in her email to me.

Here's what she had to say:

I am a Teacher Aide at a school where I work with kids with disabilities and/or behaviors. I want to tell you a story about a student that used to attend our school. Now, I can't give out a name due to confidentiality purposes but I can tell you all about this sweet boy that touched my heart!

He is a 12 year old boy who has seizures along with other developmental delays due to his seizures. When I first started working there he was 8 years old, and I worked in a classroom with him and with five other kids. He instantly stood out to me because he was bouncing on the floor and laughing with the biggest smile on his face.

I went over to him and said "hi". He looked at me and went into a seizure. It scared me half to death, but the other two teachers in the room were not alarmed. They informed me that he has seizures about every 15-20 minutes and they would last anywhere from 30 seconds to three minutes. So I watched this little helpless boy shake and drool for about two minutes until he finally stopped. He instantly got back up on his knees, started bouncing, smiling, making noises, and laughing again.

I was astonished by the fact that even though in about 15-20 minutes this little boy knew he was going to go back into a seizure, he was happy. He was laughing. He was playing! It instantly melted my heart, and he became my favorite! I loved all of my students, but he was my number one pick!

He taught me that I, myself, have struggles that are real, but they compare nothing to what he goes through or what any of my students go through every day! If he can seizure that often and still manage to put a smile on his face than so can I! Just Win Today! The struggles could be worse!

What a great story!!!

I remember after I had my car wreck I started to feel sorry for myself. My arm was broke, my ankle was broke, my hip was broke, I had bleeding on the brain that had me dizzy most of the time, and reality was setting in that (a) this was going to be a long, long, painful road to recovery; and (b) I might not ever fully recover back to 100% of where I was before the wreck.

So one day they were wheeling me to physical therapy and there was a lady in front of me getting wheeled somewhere else in. The nurse, an angel named Jacquie, whispered in my ear, "David, do you see that woman in front of you." I said yes. She said, "She's the same age as you, she had an accident a few days before you, and she is a quadriplegic. She will never walk again. She can't go to the bathroom without help. Her life will never be the same."

Immediately, I had a brand new perspective. As bad as my situation was, it was going to get better. No matter how bad my situation was - and it was BAD - somebody had it worse, and that somebody was right in front of me. I don't know how Jacquie knew I needed to hear that, but I needed to hear it for sure. I'm so thankful she said that to me, and I'm so thankful to Krista for sharing her story.

So be GRATEFUL today. Don't dwell on the things that are holding you down. Be thankful for what you do have. Try to help somebody else who is having a hard time. Be nice to somebody for no reason other than it's easier to be nice than it is to be mean. You might make somebody else's day!

Thank you, Krista, for sharing your story. If anybody else has a story to share, just click on the "CONTACT JWT" tab and send it to me. I'd be glad to share it.

#JWT

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