Thanksgiving is trotting up on us and conversations revolve around food and Black Friday sales. It is also a time to give thanks for the things in our lives that we often take for granted:
1. Education:
As you sit in the couch room in the library with a semester-long stack of readings you skimmed over 10 minutes before class each day, the overwhelming feeling of finals hits you. You make a “things to do” list and realize there is not enough time in the day for you to study, exercise, and sleep. College is tough.
Take a breath and appreciate the fact that you are at Bucknell. Meet the girls who are fighting for their right to an education:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GluooOH_EnE
2. Food:
You finally get back home after the long trek uphill after being downtown. You’re absolutely starving. The Flyson line was ridiculously long and you’re sick of Nacho Tots and the Walking Taco. You order Domino’s. The 15 minutes of waiting seems like an eternity. They end up forgetting your cheesy bread and you go to bed upset. No tip for that guy.
Take a breath and be thankful for the food on your plate and what it means to say you’re “starving”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pC3kKsn19AE
3. Shelter
Flashback to move-in day: you carry your first bin of clothes up 3 flights of stairs and feel the sweat pouring off your back. You think to yourself there’s no way I’m making it through this year without air conditioning.
Take a breath and be grateful for the roof over your head:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIT6z8-g2GQ
4. Our health
All day you dread going to the gym. The night rolls around and you sluggishly pull on leggings and get headphones out. The thought of running on a treadmill is the last thing you want to do right now.
Take a breath and run for those who can’t. Be thankful for your good health and medical resources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYMi-Kdjjxk
5. You woke up this morning
Your alarm clock obnoxiously rings off for your 8am on a Thursday morning. It’s negative degrees outside and they haven’t cleared the snow from the pathways yet. You dig your face into the pillow and contemplate whether to go to class or not.
Be happy you woke up this morning because some people did not.
You have every right to complain about the struggles in your life; however, it is important to take a minute each day and consider all the good things in your life. Count your blessings, not your problems, and always remember, your worst day may be someone else’s best day.