“Others who broke my heart, they were like northern stars pointing me on my way into your loving arms.”
(Rascal Flatts, Bless the Broken Road)
I’m lucky.
I am alive. I am loved. And I am in love.
It seems rather easy to take for granted that I’m going to wake up each morning, but should I? It may be surprising, but I recently learned that 150,000 people die every day.
Because of this, I have decided to be more mindful that not everyone wakes up alive each morning. Everyone will have one morning that will be their last.
I am trying a daily practice of gratitude by starting each day with this affirmation:
I am grateful to be alive, I am grateful to be loved, and I am grateful to be in love.
Love is one of the Seven Foundations of Health. It is a powerful emotion and a critical component of happiness and wellbeing.
I am so fortunate that I have been loved my entire life. From the moment I entered this world I’ve had the unconditional love of my parents. Throughout my life, I have always had love from family and friends that I could count on—whenever I needed it.
I try to stay mindful that many people are not surrounded by love as I have been. Being loved is indeed a great blessing and one that should not be taken for granted.
I am grateful to be alive, I am grateful to be loved, and I am grateful to be in love.
It seems as if the Rascal Flatts wrote about my personal journey to find my soul mate. Their beautiful song, Bless the Broken Road, says “God blessed the broken road that led me straight to you.” That’s what I felt like. It was as if, at long last, I had arrived where I am supposed to be. When I finally found my wife, I learned what it truly meant to be “in love.”
Being “in love” is a very deep connection that I cannot easily explain. I found a comfort, an acceptance, a contentment that I had not experienced before. It is magical. And it needs to be celebrated.
So we celebrate!
My wife and I celebrate being “in love” with annual honeymoons. That’s right, we go on a honeymoon every year. I know that most people believe “the honeymoon” is supposed to be a once-in-a-lifetime vacation taken after getting married. But who made that silly rule?
Annual honeymoons are our special time to get away from everything but each other and our love. They are a yearly reminder of the preciousness of our relationship. They are a private celebration of the deep connection we have with each other. Annual honeymoons help us cultivate and nurture our marriage.
We spend time together planning our annual honeymoons. We discuss where we want to go and what we want to do.
So far we’ve been to Puerto Vallarta, San Diego, Los Cabos, Montego Bay, Grand Cayman, Belize, Punta Cana, and Cancun. You may notice a warm, sandy beach theme!
We usually do very little except sleep, read, appreciate good food and drink, and enjoy a couples massage. Occasionally I’ll chase my wife around the room, and she often lets me catch her! Mostly, we just relax into each other for the week. It is wonderful.
We are currently planning our eighth honeymoon. This year we are looking at the beautiful, rocky sea coast of Maine during the humid North Carolina summer.
I am mindful that being in love is very precious indeed. There is nothing like it.
I am grateful to be alive, I am grateful to be loved, and I am grateful to be in love.
Image via Death to the Stock Photo