Appreciate little and big

It's amazing what I took for granted before. These are some of the small, seemingly insignificant activities I sorely miss.

• Being able to guzzle a refreshing glass of cold water. I love H2O and its thirst-quenching properties. I used to gulp, swallow, guzzle and slurp agua via multi refillable water bottles every day. Now it doesn't hold the same appeal and I can only sip on it without my stomach quivering in protest, screaming "Too much at one time. Too much!"
• Craving and enjoying an icy-cold Diet Coke with lime. I fondly recall the first fizzy gulps of a freshly poured (and lime squeezed) glass of the not-so-good-for-you carbonated beverage. Of course, my response to that first sweet and satisfying drink would be a lip smack and resounding, "Ahhhhh!"
• Eating and enjoying a full-sized meal of whatever tickles my fancy knowing it'll stay in my body. I would love to be able to go out for lunch or dinner, order whatever I want, enjoy the entire satisfying goodness of the food, then have my body digest it and expel it properly.
• Enjoying an alcoholic beverage. I haven't consumed nor craved one since I had my surgery in September. Now I enjoy a good drink and I'm a social drinker. I love enjoying a cold beer while watching the London Knights flip the puck around the ice or sipping on a smooth glass of Shiraz while savouring a meal, but I have absolutely no desire for alcohol right now. Even when I've tried a sip or two, the experience turned me off. I miss drinking.
• Experiencing social encounters. I miss being with people, running into others, casual conversations and heart-to-hearts. I miss knowing what's going on with others through the normal day-to-day interactions of life. While I do try to make plans with friends when I feel well, it's not quite the same. It's a bit isolating.
• Having energy. I feel tired alot of the time. Now while I know many who voice this complaint, this is a different, bone-deep, weary, sore-eyes kind of tired. I'm now acquiring the habit of napping regularly during the day and still my eyes start to droop, with my vision blurring, around 8 p.m. while watching TV. I feel I've lost my spunk and enthusiasm.
• My zest for exercise. I used to enjoy going to the gym (or at least the way it made me feel when I exercised). I would work up a good sweat, make my muscles ache, groan and inwardly swear at the manoeuvers, and feel accomplished when I was finished. Exercising made me feel accomplished and proud, because I was doing something good for my body. I was making myself stronger in mind, body and spirit. But the desire and inclination to even walk on my treadmill is gone. I know I should do it on those days when I do have some energy. But then again, when are those? Is this the right time to be putting shoulds in my life? But I'm losing most of my muscle tone and turning into a loose blob, which makes me weepy.
• Having perpetual, unwaivering hope. I used to have many, many more good days than bad. I'd bounce back from sad, scared, angry, frustrated and lonely days quicker. I continuously believed the situation would get better, and sooner rather than later. It helped me get through some pretty rough times. But time has worn down that pie-in-the-sky, perpetual optimism to a more down-to-earth variety.

I meant for this blog to start with the simple and everyday items I miss in life, but then it got very deep and philosophical. I guess my mind had much more buried on this topic than I realized. So I share it with you.

Don't take the little (or big) things in life for granted. Examine a few simple pleasures you enjoy today and be overly thankful for them - that first sip of a fresh coffee, a chance encounter with a friend at work whom you haven't seen in a while, the crunch of a perfectly sweet apple, a good joke that makes you guffaw out loud, a warm hug or a sweet treat you're enjoying just because you're worth it. Take joy in the small pleasures all around you.

Tina