I have almost trapped myself doing this. The one I remember most was the position at work that I had sort of gotten conned into taking, and was doing my best to make the most of a really crappy situation. A friend dropped by to visit me in my office — one of those friends who, when you’re with them, the truth just becomes revealed, because they know you, and might just give you that look when you’re trying to explain how you’re making the most of a really crappy situation.

That was all I needed to get over my finding gratitude just to be working a decent job, to realizing I needed to do better than the shit-show I was trying to be grateful for. Within a month or two, the something better showed up at my door, and I was by then being self-honest enough to see that it was far better than what I was doing. I always felt like I just barely escaped that trap. I could’ve gotten stuck there for a long time.