This is a Really Real Life Post.

Or maybe a Really Real Appreciation of Life Post.

I cleaned out the fridge yesterday.

That makes a whole lot of dishes, because we’re horrible about eating leftovers, and I’m horrible about cooking the right amount of food (but I’m getting better at it).

That meant after taking the trash and recycling out, I had a sink full of nasty Tupperware that needed to be addressed, and couldn’t be put off.

I was already ouchy just from the fridge and trash.  I mean, lets break this down some.  Opening and emptying each of the containers took a toll on the joints in my fingers.  When you live with chronic pain, each individual part of a job becomes very noticeable, it’s no longer cleaning out the fridge as a whole.  Even grasping the cold bottles of pickles to move them around and get to other items is painful.

But this is supposed to be a post about appreciating life, you say, well I’m getting there.

So last night I did up the dozen Tupperware containers and few cups, and our drainer was overflowing.  I later cooked dinner (Chicken Parmesan with frozen patties, nothing extravagant) and left those dishes for this morning.

We ate on paper plates to minimize the mess because I was kind of over it by then.

So this morning I’m staring at a stove top with soaking pots and pans from noodles and sauce, and a drainer full of Tupperware that needs to be dried off the rest of the way. . .

And I’m thankful.

Because I’m capable of doing this stuff now.

And a few years ago I would have thrown up my hands in complete overwhelm and needed to get someone else to handle it.

A few years ago I had a home health aid partially to help with the dishes that I couldn’t handle so that it didn’t only fall on my late wife and son.

A few years ago I couldn’t have stood long enough to do the trash and the fridge and the dishes without taking a long break.

So as frustrated as I was to stare at more dishes this morning, and to realize (again) that  this homemaker thing is a never ending set of tasks that I have a love/hate relationship with, I was thankful.

Even though it hurts I now have the ability to push through.

I’m thankful for this life I have now, because at one point, all I wanted was this.