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Jerry Clark

Have to vs Get to

I was remembering a story from a few years back; I was picking up a friend from his dialysis treatments.


When I got there I usually sat in the waiting room with the other dialysis patients.


I began to meet many of them because they came at the same time on Wednesdays.


I started to hear their stories.



“I can’t empty my dishwasher anymore.”


“I can’t reach the cabinets to put my dishes away.”


“I can’t vacuum anymore or I sweep.”


“I hate it when the wind blows, my trash cans go down the street.”


This was the beginning of a major paradigm shift for me.


As I sat there and listened, I began to look at my hands and feet.


I did not like to have to put the dishes away. I did not like to have to empty the dishwasher, vacuum, sweep, or chase the trash cans.


This experience caused me to think about how equipped I am; what a privilege it is to have health, strength, and ability.


At that moment I shifted from 'I have to' to 'I get to.'


I 'have to' is a drudgery. I 'get to' is a privilege.


I 'get to' empty the dishwasher, sweep and chase the trash cans.


It is my choice to be involved and engaged in life.


If I think of it as a gift that I 'get to do something,' life becomes easier.



Keep looking for the blind spots and building a better you.




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Blind Spots in Relationships

What I don't know I don't know about myself




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