Yesterday, I spent a good portion of the day and early evening watching the NYC Marathon. To say it’s inspiring is a huge understatement.

It’s hard not to swell up when you see a double amputee go by on his hand bike. It’s hard not to swell up when you see a double amputee run by on his prosthetic legs. (Well for  running they change them to what look like almost curved skis.)

It’s hard not to swell up when you see a 75 year old woman run by.

It’s hard not to appreciate the patience and persistence these people must have.

Yet, when we go back to our own lives it’s easy to get lost in it. It’s easy to find reasons to complain. It’s easy to look at what we don’t have. It’s easy to quit.

It’s so easy to complain.

Over and over again, I had to control my emotions watching some of these people run by.

What was it? I wanted to identify the problem.

I think it’s because each time I saw someone who I thought was less fortunate than myself, I was putting myself in their shoes or devices or wheelchair or hand bike. And it absolutely tore me up. I couldn’t handle it.

But like all human beings we learn to deal with our reality. We learn to make the best of it.

Or we don’t.

But that’s a choice we all get to make.

We can hope and wish all day long. Or, we can choose to take action. We can choose to make the best out of our current situation or we can choose to complain and choose to look at the silver lining in everything.

Sometimes, a little perspective goes a long way.

Sometimes, getting out of your own head, makes you realize how good you really do have it.

It also makes you realize problems you may have that seem enormous are, indeed, rather tiny.

It makes pain not so painful. It makes discomfort not so uncomfortable. It makes hard work, hardly work. It makes effort, effortless.

This is, of course, if we choose to look at life as a gift and nothing but that.