Finding Reasons to Be Thankful This Thanksgiving Even When Life Is Tough

My boyfriend and I recently broke up on Halloween. It was really hard because we have known each other for about five years and have been best friends for a long time. This made me feel like my holidays were ruined. My favorite time of the year felt like it had been drowned by a cloud of sadness. 

However, as the last two weeks went by, I started to realize that just because I lost one of the most important people in my life did not mean that I did not have other people or things to be grateful for. I came up with a long list of things I had to be thankful about, even when it felt like there was no point to life. 

The most important item on the list was my family. I have lost a lot of family over the last couple of years, but that has made me grow closer to the few that I still have. At the end of the day, my sisters are the ones who will always be there for me with open arms. They are ready to give me a hug and be happy for me when I cannot be happy for myself. They will love me even when we fight about the dumbest things. 

My friends who have stuck by me through everything. The ones who were there before and will be there after the relationship. I have a few friends who have stuck with me through all my hardships- whether it was my mom dying or me getting my heart broken. Those are the people who know me best and are happy to just sit in silence with me if that is what I need. I will never take them for granted because at the end of the day, they are everything to me. 

My job. As silly as this might seem, I am thankful for my job. Not only do I work with people who have known me since I was 15 and have helped me become the young woman I am today, but they have also given me money to buy everything I want. I mean, I work for my money, but they hired me in the first place. Therefore, I will forever be grateful that they deal with me. I am thankful that they buy me lunch and are eager to talk about my life while we eat. 

School. At times it can be difficult and stressful, but I know so many people who were not given the chance to go to university because they either did not have the money or because they had to take care of their families. I am thankful that I get to expand my knowledge every day at an amazing university, even when I feel like I am drowning in work and that I cannot go on. This place has genuinely taught me so much. 

I am thankful for my life. I am thankful that I was born healthy and have been healthy since then. I feel like I take this for granted. There are people all over the world, even in this university, who do not have the best health, but they are pushing through. They are fighting to stay alive, so I am thankful that I have one less thing to worry about. Everyone who fights for another day are strong people who deserve better. I used to wonder why some people are born healthy and others are not, and I have realized that it is just a horrible matter of luck. 

I could go on for days, but these are a few of the things I pondered over while crying over what I have recently lost. When it feels like the world is crashing on you, the last thing you want is someone reminding you of what you still have. You want to feel your pain and get through it. However, when you do get through, and are potentially having a hard time finding reasons to get out of bed, I hope these help you out. 

• break up
• family
• friends
• heartache
• job
• school
• thankful
• thanksgiving