The Body and Life’s Rhythms · Life & Body

After ups and downs, I once had a very direct realization: being alive and still physically healthy already deserve cherishing. Other gains are additions to this foundation. While busy pursuing things, this order is easily reversed.

Goals unfinished, income unsatisfying, undertakings incomplete: we keep seeing gaps. Meanwhile, the ability to rest and act, someone to talk to, and the chance to rearrange life—these already existing things gradually become taken for granted.

Seeing them affects concrete choices. Rest when unwell, sleep early for important things tomorrow, and do not exhaust all energy at once. Distant goals remain worth pursuing; the person carrying those goals also needs care.

Cherishing the present need not wait until everything goes smoothly. First acknowledge happiness already possessed, then strive for what else you want, and your inner scale becomes fuller. Life has gaps and can still contain things worth thanking.