Have you ever been somewhere or had an experience that completely changed your whole outlook on life? For me, that place is the island of Antigua.
This past summer, my family and I took a cruise around the Caribbean. We had this trip planned long before the horrific hurricanes that hit the area last fall. Many of the islands we visited suffered severe damage. The cruise was not canceled, however, as the islands needed the tourist money to help rebuild their infrastructure.
The entire trip was spectacular, and I had an incredible time. The most memorable part for me, however, was the day I spent in Antigua. They were one of the islands hit the hardest and had the most devastation. When we arrived in Antigua, we took a driving tour around the island. I am going to be honest, I don’t remember all the specifics of the things I saw, but I do remember seeing the devastation. Don’t get me wrong though, there was also some incredible scenery and some of the bluest water I have ever seen.
Along with that though, I saw the people of Antigua and how happy and content they seemed with their lives. Despite the tragedies they had encountered and living in extreme poverty, they were happy. And that really taught me something.
We live our daily lives thinking that getting stuck in traffic or failing a test is one of the worst things that could possibly happen, and we let little things like that ruin our whole day or even our whole week. In Antigua, I saw kids thrilled at the fact that they were even at school and that it didn’t get destroyed in the hurricane. It made me think, what if we could learn that instead of being upset by the little inconveniences in our lives, we could be grateful for them. If you get stuck in traffic, at least you have a working car. If you fail a test, at least you are fortunate enough to have an education. If people begin to look at the negative things in life as a positive, the world may end up being a whole lot happier.
Since visiting Antigua in June, I have really tried my hardest to be much more thankful for what I have been blessed with in this life. I try to look at things in a positive light and see the good in every situation. I wanted to share this little story not only because it was a life-changing experience, but because I hope by reading this, people can walk away with a new perspective on life just as I have.