A lesson in gratitude:

The lesson...
~ A good friends' brother passed on her birthday, three weeks after her grandfather passed.
~ A young relative who has had a crappy upbringing has had her kids removed from her possession due to drug addiction and bad taste in men. Her mother is in prison. The two men she knew as father figures are dead.  All this before the age of 25.
~ One of my best friends was almost killed by a hit and run driver while walking home after a hard day of work.
~ Countless other things I could choose to focus on...

 The Gratitude...
~ I have full mental capabilities.
~ I am not nor have been addicted to illegal substances.
~ I know my parents and they wanted to know me.
~ I am healthy and physically capable.
~ I have a family that cares about me and people that have chosen to love me for who I am.
Bonus ~ My landlords are awesome in a time when it is profitable not to be.

It's far more important to be grateful for what you have than to focus on disappointments.

Happiness is a choice.

May you find peace in your heart and mind.  Happy New Year.