It’s amazing how much a shower can change your worldview. It doesn’t have to be a long one, or maybe it was, but the feeling of being clean and refreshed is just one of the best, pure feelings in the world. That opportunity to shower is a privilege.
Being in quarantine has made me think a lot about the privilege that I have, and I realized something—we always look up to those who have more than us. We always look for what we can’t have, something to strive for. But, sometimes, we don’t think about where we came from. We forget.
Think about your parents, your grandparents, your aunts or uncles, or your role models growing up. I know personally how hard my parents and grandparents worked to give their children a better life, or the best life that they could provide within their means. When I have a bad day, I feel angry or frustrated about trivial things. A lot of the time, I don’t realize how lucky I am, and where I come from doesn’t even cross my mind. That’s the privilege that I have. My privilege can make me forget not to waste food, or that I have an opportunity to attend college, or the fact that I have a roof over my head and my own bed to sleep on. We forget.
On occasion, I get upset with myself. I regret not accomplishing a long-standing personal goal of mine. I haven’t been able to change the world yet. I always want to be a role model for others and make a difference, and the one thing I feel like I still haven’t done is find a way to change the world. When I look back on it now, maybe I haven’t been able to change the world on a grand scale, but I always have an opportunity to change someone else’s world. Saying hello to a stranger who might be going through something, giving a piece of candy to a kid who likes sweets, hugging someone who might be going away for a long time. Those are the moments that count. We forget that we have an impact on other people because we’re so absorbed in our own lives that we just don’t think about it. We forget.
We are in the midst of a global pandemic. Some of us have the privilege of staying in our homes, only going out to get fresh air or to get food. Not all of us have roofs over our heads or beds to sleep in. Not all of us are employed at the current moment. Not all of us have people to share quarantine with. Now is not the time to forget about other people. There are so many people putting their own lives on the line for you. Don’t be the person that forgets about other people.
Please. Do whatever you can to help others. Stay home. If you are one of those battling on the front lines, we appreciate you.
Thank you for risking your life to protect mine. Thank you for giving me a future. I will not forget.