What I Am Grateful For As I Turn 54

I have shared before that often I do my love life “mantra” when I am out for a run or simply before I go to sleep. Part of that mantra is appreciation that in itself has a healing effect. I thought that since today is my 54th birthday, I would reflect on all I am grateful for and why I feel like I am the luckiest person alive.

I am so lucky and fortunate and could not ask for a more giving, loving wife in Barb. She has always been there for me and our family and one of the reasons we have such a close loving family is because of Barb.

I could not ask for more loving, appreciative and great children in Tim, Matt and Lauren. Every year we enjoyed bringing them up and all phases of their life. They have now grown into mature successful adults and I can truly say we love spending every minute with them. There is not a day that goes by that we don’t talk to them in some fashion.

I am so lucky to have a great group of friends from all different aspects of our lives. From childhood friends to friends made later in life, as well as work friends, we have a great social network. Barb surprised me on my birthday and invited some of our closest friends to help me celebrate my birthday at the cottage which was amazing.

I love nature and every aspect of it and am so appreciative of what God has given in this world around us. Like many of you, my most peaceful moments in life seem to be when I am close to nature. Whether it is cycling out in the country, running, back country skiing or simply going for a walk, there is amazing nature all around us that I pay respect to every day.

Many people take their health for granted until it is too late. I am so fortunate to have good health and as you know through this blog, my goal is to continually improve my health so I can continue to “live” vs “exist” as I age. In fact my goal is to live until I am 135 years old(See Previous blog: My 6 Values To Live A Long Life (http://kevinbradyhealth.ca/my-goal-of-living-until-i-am-135-years-old/)‎ As many of you know, I came very close to death while undertaking a seemingly healthy activity when I ran the Burlington Millenium Marathon in 1999. I believe that because of that incident it allows me to really appreciate good health.

Being relatively fit allows me to train and enjoy life with many people much younger than myself including my own children. Because I am fit and work out regularly it allows me to take part in many sports and recreational activities including representing Canada at the Worlds in Triathlon. It also allows me to really enjoy the LL (Love Life) moments as I have written about in a previous blog: How being fit allows you to enjoy Love Life moments (http://kevinbradyhealth.ca/how-a-fitness-allows-you-to-see-the-love-life-moments/)

Although I have worked very hard over the years, I am blessed by great employees (I consider them more friends than employees), great customers and a great career in the Employee Benefits and Health and Wellness field. This good fortune has allowed Barb and I and our family to experience many great aspects that life offers.

I have been very fortunate to have been involved in so many great charities over the  years that have allowed me to give back considerably as well as meet so many amazing and talented people. I am grateful for the first charity I was heavily involved in(for more than 15 years) and that is Rotary. Following that I have been heavily involved in 3 charities, namely Joseph Brant Hospital (currently leading the campaign to raise 60 Million for a new hospital), the YMCA of Hamilton Burlington (Chair of the Board amongst many other positions) as well as Royal Botanical Gardens. It is interesting to note that the main focus of the charities I have been involved in have all been “Health” related – my passion.

I am very appreciative of my life and my parents for giving and providing such a great start to life for me. It is sad but my dad (Howie) died 25 years ago this year and my mom (Joanie) passed away 8 years ago. There isn’t at day that goes by that I don’t miss and think about my mom and dad. They provided me with a foundation and great family values that I hopefully can and pass on to my children.

So far I have had an amazing life and I am truly grateful for all of it. As we know, life doesn’t always go the exactly the way we plan on it and has many ups and downs which are all great learning experiences. I am so fortunate to have had a great life and look forward to many more great great years (God willing).

I think that because of all the great fortune that I have enjoyed, I am really excited about the future and what it has in store. It is such a great time in our life and I look forward to what life has to offer over the next number of years(god willing). I am excited about continuing to grow our business as well as spend time with Barb and the family enjoying Life for many many years.