Hello, and welcome back to Practicing Human, the podcast where every day we're getting

a little better at life.

I'm your host, Cory Muscara, and in today's episode, we're going to talk about appreciating

your life.

Or to come on that in a moment, first, let's settle in together with the sound of the bells.

Okay, I'd like to start by sharing a poem by Jane Kenyon and the poems called Otherwise.

She writes, I got out of bed on two strong legs.

It might have been otherwise.

I ate cereal, sweet milk, ripe, flawless peach.

It might have been otherwise.

I took the dog uphill to the birch wood.

All morning I did the work I love.

At noon I lay down with my mate.

It might have been otherwise.

We ate dinner together at a table with silver candlesticks.

It might have been otherwise.

I slept in a bed in a room with paintings on the walls, and planned another day just

like this day.

But one day I know it will be otherwise.

So poems always land differently for different people and at different points in time.

One thing that I think comes through as a theme here is this idea of considering that I

have this moment of my life, and it could be worse.

...