Welcome to the Week… Why Gratitude is one of our Values.

When I write these articles each week, I usually aim to share a lesson I’ve learned, hoping it may serve others as well. Sharing knowledge, after all, is one of the most important gifts we can give.

But this week is different. This week, I’m writing for me.

The past 72 hours have brought a wave of emotions unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. Hurricane Helene was a force of nature beyond anything I’ve seen before. It brought several feet of storm surge, flooding homes, displacing families, and wreaking havoc on property—turning lives upside down in an instant.

My family and I, like many others, found ourselves navigating unexpected floodwaters in our home. We’ve been displaced and will be for several months, clearing out years of memories and belongings that were ruined.

And yet, as I sit here and reflect, I find myself filled with gratitude.

Our friends and family have been nothing short of extraordinary. They’ve converged on our home to help with everything—from removing belongings to bringing lunch over ( Fitlife Foods meals, of course, the perfect convenience during storm recovery), to simply being a shoulder to cry on.

Just last week, we had friends and family gathered in our home for brunch, celebrating our son’s bar mitzvah. A week later, the same home was inundated with water. We carried our kids on our backs to keep them dry, huddling together in one bed as we watched the water rise—and then, thankfully, begin to recede.

When our kids were finally asleep, Laura and I stepped outside and saw this photo… My initial thought was, “Why is there a sunrise at 2:30 AM?” But it wasn’t sunrise; it was a house engulfed in flames. The glow we saw was not the dawn breaking, but the terrifying orange of fire. As embers flew through the air, we couldn’t help but think of the devastating fires in California or Hawaii. Would it spread house to house? Would it be us next?

We rushed inside to pack an emergency bag and prepare to evacuate, but then relief set in as we saw that the fire was contained to that one house. At the same time, we saw an emergency truck wading through the water, rescuing people. We felt the weight of our gratitude deepen.

I had never considered the risk of fire during a flood and the fact that I was there was a miracle. As I scrambled through the house, seeing smoke from shorted power strips and outlets, I was thankful I could unplug them and use the fire extinguisher on a the smoldering oven. I even got a shock from one of those outlets, but I’m grateful it wasn’t more serious and if we had evacuated I can only think of the fire that could have occurred.?

I am grateful for friends who helped with our home remediation process. I am grateful to the countless friends who offered support. I am grateful to the incredible team at Fitlife Foods for how they led through the week. Many people have fared far worse and have much less.

Whatever happens to us, whether big or small, it is uniquely ours to face. My hope for you is that you find the strength to push through, one bite of the elephant at a time. This is the mantra my wife Laura and I kept reminding each other as we worked through this: “One bite at a time.”

I’m reminded of the quote from Matt Damon’s character in The Martian: “You work one problem, then the next, and then the next. And if you solve enough problems, you get to come home.” It’s what we all experience each and every week when facing challenges in our lives. We work problems. We get through.

If you read this each week, thank you. I hope you take something positive from these words. This week, I want to thank you for being there for me, for listening when I needed it the most.

As one of my friends said to me, “Real men cry, so just let it out, brother.” This is why gratitude is one of our values.

Go Feed Your Journey,

David