Life is experienced moment to moment, although lately for me it’s felt like complaint to complaint. This aggravates me. That aggravates me. Get out of the way. Use your blinker. Road construction season rages on. Another long line. Political division. Where did my money go? The team formerly known as the Yankees.

And then a week like last comes along and reiterates what Cicero reminded us many years ago: “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.”

Translation: We’ve got a pretty good slice of the pie here in our corner of the world and we ought to be grateful we get to live here.

OK, so we can poke fun - deservedly so - at the whole of Connecticut and how it’s become more expensive to exist here than the south of France. But our corner is the cloaked gem. And we lived it last week.

Wednesday: The band Sugar at Waterford Beach for a free concert. Turns out the concept of “free,” while facing extinction, is merely an endangered species. There had to be in excess of 1,000 people there. Lawn chairs and blankets, food and drink, dancing and kibitzing, 75 and sunny, old friends and new acquaintances. Folks from all over the region.

The perfect night. Waterford Beach’s aesthetics, great music, many volunteers helping with traffic, smiling faces, camaraderie and then the most important thing of all: A few hours of enjoyment without paying a bill of $109.14 that happens every time you go out now. I had forgotten it’s OK to be happy.

Thursday: The Day’s “Best Of The Best” gala at the Mystic Marriott. Three-hundred people in attendance. Co-masters of ceremony Lee Elci and Casey O’Neill and their puckish senses of humor keeping the night moving efficiently, all while honoring more than 180 people and businesses throughout the region.

A notable night, if for no other reason that on the current scoreboard, positive recognition is trailing criticism 42-0. Put it this way: If you or your business screw up, you are roughly 54 times more likely to hear about it than if you excel. It’s the new human nature.

That’s why it felt fulfilling to be part of a community event filled with positivity. Mad props to Jackie Nardone, The Day’s Marketing Manager; Jim Schiavone, our Deputy Regional Advertising Manager/Digital; Louvenia Brandt, our Regional Advertising Manager/Associate Shore Publisher; and the whole advertising staff for the work necessary to make a very necessary night happen.

And let me say this: The “Best Of” gala and our work at “GameDay” are The Day’s two best undertakings. Our readers/viewers have no idea what goes into making it all work. But the ability to honor almost 200 people and businesses a month before live streaming sports events makes me proud to be part of this team.

You will note we’re almost 500 words in here and we haven’t gotten to sports yet. That’s by design: 1) I’m headed to vacation; and 2) I’m tired of sports at the moment. Professional baseball season is over; football hasn’t started and the realignment of college sports has me queasy. I actually read this Friday: The Oregon football team flying to new Big 10 brethren Rutgers is only 30 minutes longer than if Boston College played in London.

Today’s discourse, while unlikely to move the needle under the category of “click bait” - people like spleen venters and divisiveness way more than good news - is nonetheless about gratitude. Loving where you live and work. It was a lovely reminder last week.

Go figure. Sometimes, current events aren’t so bad.

This is the opinion of Day sports columnist Mike DiMauro