My aunt asked me to make her my favorite keto paleo pumpkin pie. Normally, I’d be excited to cook. However, not only do I have a lot on my plate right now, but I also quit sweeteners. So I can’t even join in the pie eating.
I thought this was a perfect opportunity to do something nice that’s also uncomfortable.
The Blessing Of Inconvenience
As much as I’m discomforted, I’m far more grateful that my aunt asked me for the pie.
Here’s why.
My aunt has been an energetic force of nature my entire life. The epitome of health. She did everything right from exercising to eating healthy.
Not only did she practice health, but she’s an expert medical doctor who specializes in longevity. Many people looked up to her as their health muse.
Which is why we were all shocked in April of this year, when doctors diagnosed her with stage 4 stomach cancer.
Despite subsequent weeks of treatment, the cancer spread. As a result, the doctors could not perform surgery they’d planned. She moved on to a new treatment. But hope dwindled as the doctors prepared us for the possibility that it wouldn’t work.
Because the cancer was in her stomach she couldn’t eat. The thought of her never eating again, as she withered away to her death, haunted me.
My aunt’s pain was so intense that the family made legal arrangements incase she wanted an assisted suicide.
For some miracle, things started to turn around over the last few weeks. Today she is still going through treatment but her energy is much better and she’s eating.
I had hoped so much she would be able to enjoy food again one day. But I didn’t know if it was a reality. I visualized it over and over again. So for my aunt to inconvenience me to make her a pie is one of the bests gifts I had this year.
What I Learned
While many things are uncomfortable, there are ways to find gratitude over the discomfort. Though a few hours out of my day might have slowed me down and added to my sleep debt, things could be far worse.
I can afford to go slow. I can catch up on sleep. But I very nearly couldn’t make my aunt a pie. And I’m grateful that I can.