My word for 2024 is grateful. Choosing a word as an alternative to setting New Year’s resolutions is something our friend Sarah Lee got my wife and I into a few years ago. I wasn’t really sure what to choose this year and sort of just ‘resigned to’ the word grateful. It sounded like a good word to pick I guess.

In January I began to question my choice. It felt like a cop out, something I wasn’t really living any differently as a result of choosing. I wished I had picked a stronger word, like ‘abundance’ or ‘determination’ or ‘excellence’, a word that would really make me better.

In February, on Valentine’s Day, my wife Steffi told me she believed she was pregnant. I had just started a new job two days ago, an opportunity I was excited about, and for which I had also just bought my first ever new car. I began to realize that grateful was the perfect word for this year. I have so much to be thankful for. And if I wasn’t awake and aware in this reality of how amazing my life is and how much cause I have to be grateful for, nothing would ever be enough.

Life has gotten better and better since. We found out our child will be a baby girl. We had a scare from genetic screening, but when both of us got screened it cleared the potential risk. A health risk to our child was something worth fearing. Positive indications of her health thus far is something to be grateful for. HEALTH is something to be grateful for. It’s easy to take for granted. As I write this I’m coming off a cold, which turned out to be COVID, and am again reminded of how important health is. When all of our basic needs are met it’s easy to find things to complain about, but when your health or your loved one’s health is compromised all you want is to be healthy or for them to be healthy.

I still dream of having some grand impact on the world, but if I don’t, that’s ok. Having the opportunity to experience life with and help provide for my family is more than enough to be grateful for. Everything else is just icing on the cake.