Practicing Gratitude in the Midst of Difficult Challenges

I was diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of 18. It was my senior year in high school, and in that moment, I was the exact opposite of grateful. In my mind, practicing gratitude on that day was impossible. I had dedicated countless hours to restoring my 1985 BMW, and I wanted to hold down the gas pedal long enough to a reach the speed of light.

As the diagnosis slowly started to set in, my ideas were refocused more on anger instead of recklessly escaping down the country roads. I hated my dysfunctional mind and I hoped that my doctors were wrong. My family could make a convincing argument that I dedicated the next six (or even 16) years of my life trying to prove everyone wrong.