I wish I were an accomplished pianist, but I’m glad I can listen to the O’Neill Brothers tickle the ivories. I wish I could retain everything I learn, but I’m glad there’s Google. I wish my metabolism would not decline, but I’m glad I enjoy exercise.

I wish I were more decisive, but I’m glad there are decisions I do not have to make. I wish I could relive my happy moments, but I’m glad I will never have to repeat certain awful mistakes. I wish I lived closer to my loved ones, but I’m glad we can video chat.

I wish I were as nimble as Simone Biles, but I’m glad I can still touch my toes. I wish I could do more than basic math in my head, but I’m glad I have abundant blessings to count. I wish sleeping eight hours came easier, but I’m glad for cozy comforters.

I wish I were adept at Irish step dancing, but I’m glad I have a left and a right foot. I wish I could paint like Mary Cassatt, but I’m glad I can hang wallpaper like a pro. I wish I had a green thumb, but I’m glad pulling weeds feels therapeutic.

I wish I were less impulsive, but I’m glad I am not embarrassed to have good, old-fashioned fun. I wish I could cure cancer, but I’m glad I am married to a survivor. I wish our economy would improve, but I’m glad I can still afford ice cream.

I wish I were taller, but I’m glad I can reach for the sky like Woody from Toy Story. I wish I could wake up every morning to sunshine and rainbows, but I’m glad I can see beauty in gray clouds. I wish my teeth were perfectly straight, but I’m glad I can take a bite out of life.

I wish I were fluent in a foreign language, but I’m glad my English grammar is excellent. I wish I could teleport to faraway places, but I’m glad for trains, planes, and automobiles. I wish winter days were as long as summer ones, but I’m glad I do not live in Rjukan, Norway, a town deprived of direct sunlight for six months each year.

I wish I were certain there is a God, but I’m glad I have a strong faith. I wish I could get everyone to sing at church, but I’m glad I know all the hymns. I wish we lived in a world without discrimination, but I’m glad it is filled with diversity.

I wish I were free of stress, but I’m glad for oxytocin, the cuddle hormone released when someone hugs you. I wish I could grow long, glamorous fingernails, but I’m glad I do not have onychophagia, the clinical name for excessive nail biting. I wish puppies did not have to be potty trained, but I’m glad they love unconditionally.

I wish I were perfect, but I’m glad I do not have to be. I wish I could procure world peace, but I’m glad kindness abounds. I wish people would smile more, but I’m glad joy remains even amidst suffering.