trying to be thankful

A lot of us fortunate people wake up in the morning with wandering thoughts. You wonder, why haven’t you got your dues yet? Why are you destined for better things but they aren’t coming around? You feel like you deserve so much better than what you’re getting. Well, I’m indifferent, you see. I used to feel that I’m not living the life I should be living. Until one day, an eye-opener situation came around. It all started on a hot Monday morning, last January 2009. I woke up in the morning, all set to start the week with my Research Methodology class. I liked that class; it taught me things I didn’t normally pay attention to. I took some time to stretch on my bed and as I looked at my alarm clock, I froze for a micro-second and jumped out of bed. It was 6.45am and class was to start 7.30am sharp. I rushed for a quick shower while complaining about my dumb non-ringing alarm clock. In the shower, the hot water tap was not working which added to my frustration. I hate mornings that start out unpleasantly like this. I made my peace with the tepid water and without breakfast, I left for campus. My stomach was rumbling furiously and I regretted brushing mom off when she insisted I take some breakfast. I didn’t even take a minute to brush my hair! I finally reached campus at 7.45am and found that my class was cancelled due to a miscommunication between my lecturer and the student service. I grew exceedingly irritated. If I had known, I wouldn’t have rushed from my bed, would have waited for some hot water to be heated manually, grabbed some breakfast and enjoy a usual pleasant morning. My friends and I complained about the cancellation but there was nothing to do about it. So, we had some time before the next class commences. Some of us decided to get some breakfast located near the campus and as we left, I saw the most heartfelt scene. A handicapped boy, about 6 years old was offering shoe-polishing service for spare change. The boy had just one arm. And that pushed me to realization. This morning, I woke up in frustration due to a faulty alarm. This boy probably has no bed to wake up from. I complained so much due to the non-existence of hot water. This boy probably showers in the river. I was mad at myself for not having breakfast and this boy probably has his breakfast throughout the whole day. I reached campus much later and faced a cancellation. This boy is least likely to enter a university. And then I thought to myself, when will I stop being a façade worrying about bad hair when this child has his tomorrows at stake? When will I open my eyes and realize that I have whatever I need it takes to be happy? When will I stop taking everything I have for granted? This day gave me a newfound respect for my life. I have everything I could ever possibly ask for. What more do I want?
So, what I’m trying to say here is that, we want a lot of things in life. We girls would love Jimmy Choos, Chanel handbags and a Vera Wang coat. You boys would love the smell of a tailor-made Armani suit and a tomato red Ferrari in the garage. But let’s face it, it doesn’t take much for us to be happy. We are more fortunate than most around us. Take some time to look around and you will see the difference. Life has its contrasts. We are lucky to be on the bright side of it. Cheers