Appreciate What’s In Front of You

(Excerpt from my 1st book, “Looking at Forty: A Most Meaningful Year”)

I received a house-warming gift today. OK, that is a lie… We bought this house almost three years ago and were gifted this item around that same time. I am writing this because the gift re-entered my consciousness today, and its sudden reappearance made it more meaningful to me.

It was given to my wife and me by one of my true friends, a guy I have known and confided in for many, many years. His name is Dan, and I hope he reads this book one of these days between adventures and workouts. He lives in Ocala, Florida, which to many is known as the horse capital of the United States. This gift perfectly combines my old home, Florida, with my new, Texas. It is a star, the symbol of Texas, made of actual horseshoes from Florida. To make it even better, it was hand-crafted, hammered, and welded by a friend of Dan’s back in Ocala. It is a thoughtful gift, something you cannot buy at your typical gift shop.

The fact that this came back into my consciousness so suddenly shows how much can change in a short period of time. This has been hanging on my wall for nearly three years. I see it every day, but I do not take the time to appreciate it the way I did today.

This is a gift that deserves attention. It is a symbol for friendship. My friend took time out to think about what would fit our house. He took the time out to pitch it to someone who could craft it, and then he took the time out to make it happen. Someone put their own sweat into this. They used that time that could’ve been used for more selfish pursuits to construct this work of art. And make no mistake, it is a work of art. That is impressive when you stop and think about it. The effort and the thought that it took to create this makes me smile. It makes me thankful.

In my younger days, I would not have seen the real meaning in this gift. To take a big step back, this gift would not have even happened in the first place. I would not have been buying a house, committing my hard-earned dollars to a multi-year ball-and-chain. I would not have cared one bit about anything going on my walls, not even a gift that took so much work from a complete stranger—and so much thought from a friend. I think I can speak for Dan here in saying that there would have been no way he would have given me this gift ten years ago. It would have been something closer to a 12-pack or a bottle of rum (both would have been appreciated). If I did end up receiving this, let’s say at 26, I may have let out a bit of a chuckle. It would not have been at the gift itself but at the fact that someone was willing to put that much thought into helping me decorate my own house. I would not have done the same even for myself.

These types of things and actions are much more important to me now at 39. There are many levels to its importance, and I considered them all as I paid attention to it today. It is important for me to realize that and appreciate it at the same time. When a guest asks about it, I will be excited to explain the entire story of this piece of art and how it came to live on my wall. The times I have explained it to friends and family so far, you could see that they felt very similar as I do about the gift. They can see the appreciation in my eyes and hear it in my voice. They themselves can appreciate the effort that this gift took, and they express as much. I am proud to be the owner of an item imbued with so much meaning. I am proud to have the type of friends that I do, the type of friends who would put this much thought into something. I am not afraid to admit that now.

The older I get, the more I appreciate the actions and efforts of others, even if those actions do not impact me directly. It is amazing how good you feel when you do something that should be so simple—and that is just appreciating something. When I saw that star hanging on my wall this morning and considered the significance behind it, that set the tone for the rest of the day. I was full of appreciation, and that tone will likely carry on throughout the week. I felt happier. I hope we can all do this more often. It is easy, it is important, and it feels good for all involved. So look around, and appreciate what you see.

-Houston Bailey (@BumpBailey)