I was visiting some community members today who just survived a dangerous fire. Thankfully, nobody was hurt.
Though we could go on-and-on kvetching about the close-call and loss of property, as Jews, we knew we are trained to focus instead on giving thanks.
We were reminded of the “Gomel” blessing. After surviving a dangerous situation, one recites a blessing thanking G-d "Who bestows good things on the undeserving".
We often take life for granted, however after a “close call”, we are reminded that life itself is a gift. And by actively thanking G-d for life itself we train ourselves to appreciate the myriads of small blessings in our lives.
Life is a mixed bag. No life is perfect and no life is all bad, but naturally we can get carried away by focusing on the bad, we can obsess over what is wrong with our lives rather than what is right, and as a result, we can be unhappy with our lot. No matter how much our lot improves, we can still be unhappy because if we are not happy with what we have, we will not be happy with what we get.
The solution is to give thanks.
The “Gomel” blessing serves as a reminder; If you are alive, you have what it is to be thankful for, how much more so if your basic necessities and beyond are met.