Since I was little, my mom always told me to write down five things that I am grateful for each day. Throughout my life, it has become a daily practice of mine. Every morning, I try to write down my five things, from the big to the little things. Writing down five things that I am grateful for reminds me that while things may feel difficult at times, there are always things that can make me smile. Even when I was young and my family did not have much, we were happy. Over the years, I have come to learn that we were happy because my parents always encouraged us to have a mindset of gratitude.
This semester has been challenging, to say the least. While there have been many joyful moments, there have also been difficulties that come along with being a college student during a pandemic. However, I don’t wish to write about those challenges right now. In a world that is constantly focused on what we don’t have and what we are waiting for, I want to focus on what I have right now.
Here is my list of things that I am grateful for:
I am grateful that I get to attend two classes in person.
I enjoy raising my hand and not pressing a little “raise hand” button on zoom. Seeing professors in person makes life feel a little normal, even if I can just see everyone’s eyeballs. There is something about sitting at my little desk, taking out my planner and my colored pens that just makes me feel ALIVE!
I am grateful that I get to be with my friends.
Seeing my friends Nick, Mary, and Meredith in the atrium every morning as we sip our cold brew makes me happy. My friend Brendan usually makes an appearance, and he’s entertaining, so it is always a good time.
I am grateful for my friend Emma who is a remote student this semester.
She is always there to answer my questions about our classes we take together. Emma also has a really soothing voice, so I enjoy hearing it over zoom.
I am grateful that my professors are trying to make this semester as great as they possibly can for us.
I can tell they’ve given a lot of thought and consideration to how to make online and hybrid courses work for us. I appreciate how hard they are working to ensure that we can still have a beneficial learning experience even in a pandemic.
I am grateful for the Dunkin’ Donuts crew who tells me I’m sweet and that they like my outfits.
I am also thankful for the fact that they know my medium cold brew with oatmilk order by heart now.
I am grateful for Chapel Choir.
Although we don’t get to rehearse all together anymore, I still get to sing with a few other people, and that makes me happy. We are learning Christmas songs, so that also makes me smile. Chapel Choir is recording Christmas songs, so we are basically releasing an album in my mind, and I can’t wait for it to go platinum. I am also thankful for our director, Phil, because he just accepts my strangeness and odd humor and says “nicely done” to me even if I mess up.
I am grateful for my roommate Alexis who is so generous and doesn’t get mad at me when I wake up at 7 a.m. and drop things on the ground.
I tend to be a bit clumsy. I have also fallen while getting out of bed due to my tiredness, and she didn’t even flinch. Thank goodness for her.
I am grateful for my friends who keep me sane and make me laugh.
I am grateful for Rich, who cleans our suite.
He greets me every morning while I am in our common room, doing my morning journaling. Rich thinks it is great that I wake up early, and I think Rich is great for keeping our suite Covid-free!
I am grateful for this semester’s Christ Encounters Retreat.
Even in a pandemic, retreat still happened. Retreat was the refresh I think everyone needed before going into the final week of classes. I simply do not know how to write about retreat because it is always just too good to put into words. I loved my group partner, Goose. During retreat, I made it my mission to help Goose become TikTok literate, and when he said, “she’s REALLY good!” for the first time, I knew I had made my dream a reality. Jesus loves you, pass it on!
I am grateful for those who work in the medical field.
Whenever I need a reality check, I think of my Aunt Sue Sue (I call her Sue Sue because I couldn’t pronounce Susan as a child, and it just kind of stuck). She is a nurse at a nursing home, and she tends to elderly patients with Covid while wearing a hazmat suit and has be tested almost daily. She deserves a medal.
I am grateful for election workers.
Shoutout to my mom, Mrs. Nancy Sousa, who worked three elections during a pandemic. She worked countless hours between the town, state, and presidential elections that took place this year. She also deserves a medal for stuffing tens of thousands of ballots into envelopes for absentee voting.
I am grateful for my dad, Mr. John Sousa!
The iPhone 4s king learned how to use zoom for his finance committee meetings, and I could not be prouder. I also love receiving texts from him that he formats like emails. Talk about a technology powerhouse!
I hope that my list encourages you to make one of your own. Cultivate a grateful heart, baby! Cheers to the end of the semester!