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There are moments that happen so suddenly they change
the way you see everything.
For me, that moment came last Thanksgiving on a dock. My dog had fallen into the water, and without thinking, I rushed down the stairs to pull him out. As I stepped onto the final tread of the stairs, the board suddenly gave way beneath me. I lost my balance, fell backward, and slammed into the stairwell.
When everything finally stopped, I looked down and saw that the side of my hand had been torn wide open. I ended up needing 17 stitches. But as painful as the injury was, I couldn’t stop thinking about how easily it could have been so much worse. If I had fallen just a few inches in another direction, I could have lost my hand—or even suffered an injury that changed my life forever.
That split second was a sobering reminder of how fragile life and ability truly are. As a chiropractor, my hands are more than tools. They are how I serve my patients, support my family, and live out my purpose. Lying there with my wounds, I experienced an unexpected spiritual clarity. I felt overwhelmingly grateful—for my life, for my hand, and for the ability to continue doing the work I love.
What struck me most was that it took a near-tragedy to make me pause and reflect. I didn’t need the injury to have something to be thankful for, but it forced me to recognize something I hadn’t been fully practicing:
Gratitude is not a one-time thought. It is a daily choice.
That experience changed my perspective. Instead of waiting for a crisis to remind me of life’s blessings, I decided to become more intentional about noticing them—both the ordinary and the extraordinary. When I look back on that Thanksgiving, I don’t remember the pain first. I remember the realization that life can change in an instant, and we shouldn’t wait for danger to teach us gratitude.
The accident permanently changed my mindset. I am more present, more appreciative, and more aware of how precious each moment is. Every day, I try to carry that gratitude into the lives of the people I’m blessed to serve and into every moment I’m fortunate enough to have.
My hope is that you don’t have to experience a life-changing moment to recognize how much you already have to be grateful for. Take a moment to look around you. Be grateful for the people who love you, the moments you often take for granted, the simple things that bring you joy, and even the ordinary days that don’t seem special at the time.
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