If we’re being honest with ourselves, most of the time we aren’t walking around thinking about how fortunate we are for the good things apparent in our lives, like being alive. Waking up every day, snuggled in our covers with the sunlight beaming down on us is a privilege for sure, but we seem to take for granted the precious moments of life. Perhaps it’s because we spend so much time focusing on the next thing that we forget or even become blind to the present moment. Maybe it’s because we create a standard for ourselves by constantly feeling like we need to measure up to the “things” that others have. Or maybe it’s just because our day-to-day routines seem like a “normal.”
But sometimes, I experience glimmers of moments when I appreciate the good in my life– my health, my family, my friends, and my home. I can’t explain this feeling except that it almost feels as if a wave of happiness washes over me, cleansing me of my worries, stress, and problems.
These past few weeks have allowed me to be drenched in this happiness. Amidst a world trembling with fear in light of COVID-19, I’ve never felt so grateful and appreciative of life. I’ve learned to appreciate the friends who reached out to check-up on me, the professors who extended an encouraging hand to help me overcome the transition towards online classes, and the neighbors who dropped off freshly baked cookies on the front steps of my family’s home as a way of saying, “It’s okay, we’re going to get through this. But first, have a cookie!”
Here I am, stuck in my house, wearing my fifth pair of pajamas, as I write this article to share this one beautiful truth: life is so good. Yes, in these unprecedented circumstances, the world appears to be falling apart. But I’ve also felt an overwhelming amount of love seep through the heavy air of illness, death, and mourning. It seems as if during the most difficult times in our life we become the most humbled by the smallest instances of companionship and love.
As we stay inside working, cooking, and doing all forms of life in the comfort of our homes, I hope we can all be overwhelmed by the showers of grace and appreciation, like I was and continue to be every day.
