I'm happy just to be breathing. I'm joyful for life, my kids

Hear now the words of Rodney Hood, words simple yet profound: “I’m happy just to be breathing. I’m joyful for life, my kids running around and waking me up every day. I got a lot to be thankful for.” These words remind us that the truest treasures are not found in crowns of gold or victories in the arena, but in the breath within our lungs, the laughter of children, and the chance to wake to another dawn. It is a teaching of humility, gratitude, and joy in the ordinary—the kind of joy that sustains the spirit far more than fleeting triumphs.

The ancients, too, understood this truth. The philosopher Seneca wrote that to live itself is a gift, and every breath is beyond price. Yet too often we pass through our days blind to the miracle of existence, craving more and overlooking what we already possess. Hood’s words cut through this blindness, lifting our eyes to the breath that sustains us, the life that surrounds us, and the children who, though noisy and restless, are living proof of love made flesh. To be thankful for such things is to see with the eyes of wisdom.

His words also reveal the heroism of endurance. For an athlete who has faced injuries and trials, the simple act of breathing freely and rising each day is no small thing. What others dismiss as ordinary, he honors as extraordinary. In this, Hood joins the great lineage of those who learned to rejoice not in excess but in sufficiency. A man who can be joyful simply for waking, for family, for life itself, is invincible—for no loss of fame or fortune can strip him of his deepest treasure.

Consider the tale of Viktor Frankl, survivor of the concentration camps. Stripped of all possessions, starved, and facing death daily, he still found meaning in life’s smallest mercies: a sunrise, a kind word, the memory of love. He wrote later that those who could find gratitude even in such darkness endured with dignity. Like Hood, Frankl knew the power of being thankful simply for breathing, for the spark of life that remained. Such gratitude is not weakness—it is strength of the highest order.

There is also a powerful lesson in the mention of his kids. They awaken him daily, perhaps in chaos, but also in joy. Children are reminders of the sacred continuity of life, of hope carried into the future. To be thankful for their laughter, their running feet, their interruptions, is to recognize that even the noisy burdens of love are blessings. What some might see as inconvenience, the wise see as the heartbeat of life itself.

The origin of this wisdom lies in the eternal rhythm of loss and renewal. When one has faced moments where health, life, or loved ones could have been taken away, one learns that every breath and every embrace is precious. Hood’s words are born of such recognition—that nothing is promised, and thus everything is gift. Gratitude becomes not an occasional act, but a way of being.

The lesson is clear: do not overlook the ordinary. Be thankful for the breath in your chest, for the laughter in your home, for the life around you. Do not wait until it is threatened to recognize its worth. The one who treasures these daily blessings will never be poor, no matter what else is lost. To be joyful for life itself is to walk in harmony with the divine, to stand unshaken when storms come.

Practical wisdom calls you to action: tomorrow, when you awaken, do not rush into the burdens of the day. First, notice the miracle of your breathing. Notice the presence of those you love, however noisy, however imperfect. Speak aloud your gratitude. Say, as Rodney Hood has said: “I got a lot to be thankful for.” And in that spirit, you will walk with strength, peace, and unshakable joy, carrying the ancient wisdom that life itself is the greatest blessing.