There are nights where I lay in bed and think of how lucky I am to have a roof over my head, loving parents, and caring friends. It’s a privilege to even have a bed that I can lay on to simply sleep. It’s a blessing to wake up every morning to have a job that I can go to and a car that I can drive. It’s a privilege to grow up with an education system, whether it’s good or bad. What a privilege it is to have clean water at a turn of a faucet and medical assistance that is one dial away. How fortunate am I that I don’t have to depend on someone for physical assistance 24/7. It’s a blessing to have the choice to eat whenever and wherever I want. How lucky am I to have CHOICES and OPTIONS. I am lucky enough to simply be alive, healthy and active. Yet, it’s so easy to complain in our everyday lives. “Why is it so difficult deciding where to eat”, “Traffic is such a bitch”, “Why can’t I be like him/her”, “I need a new phone”, “My internet is so slow”, “My parents are so annoying”, “Ugh, I have to wake up early for work”.

Many of us aren’t aware that we complain daily, whether it’s related to something small or big, it’s grown to become an impulsive action or thought that is ingrained as a routine into our everyday lives. I notice that I complain at least once every day about something that’s meaningless or unnecessary. It definitely takes more energy to complain about minuscule things in our lives’ than to actually express gratuity for the basic necessities that we do have in life.

I am thankful for being able to see the sun every waking morning. I am grateful for being able to experience nature in all its beauty and organic form. It’s a blessing to be able to hear birds sing, smell flowers of all different scents, and watch the sunset at the end of each day. I am thankful for being able to walk and run at my own speed, to be able to use my two hands with its full function, and to experience life with all my five senses. It is a blessing to come home from work some days with dinner on the table and parents who are present. How lucky am I to have friends who randomly message or call me out of concern and care. I am grateful for being able to understand the meaning of love through all its different forms and actions. Life is truly a blessing and I am grateful for being alive.