Good morning, Team! It’s Friday!

Reflecting after Memorial Day, when we take time to honor the men and women who fought for our freedoms we enjoy, what do we owe them besides taking a day per year to celebrate?

I believe we have been overwhelmed with blessings and easily lose sight of how good we have it … that we take far too many things for granted, not just our freedom. Like most things, we don’t appreciate it until we’ve lost it:

•Health

•Mobility

•Autonomy

•Security

•Love

We are bombarded with news 24/7 that tells us that this world is broken yet we enjoy an insulated existence to most of it and find a way to complain about the things that aren’t quite perfect…

I have been given another gift, albeit difficult at times to categorize it this way. My latest gift has allowed me time to reflect, build new and better habits, gain a higher appreciation for the things around me, a chance to slow down, if even for a little while, and to plan and execute a way to be my best self as I take on each day in front of me.

Here are the things I do differently today than I did even 6 months ago:

•Exercise-even when I don’t feel like it

•Show love-regularly so people know my heart and don’t have to interpret expressions on my face.

•Nap more-because I can and because I’m listening to my body when it doesn’t get the rest it needs.

•Get a regular massage-no matter how gratuitous this sounds, if I wear tension on my body, it shows up on my face and affects my disposition and how I show up.

•Pray (more regularly and more often during the day)-inner peace, a stronger faith and a better outlook are all benefits of prayer for me.

I don’t know how long I’ll live, how long I’ll work, how I’ll spend time five or ten years from now but I know I want to be happy, productive, loving, caring and leave things, people, and society better than I found them so I know I better show up with my best self every single day.

Have a blessed weekend!

Eric