After a hectic week, it is super important to sit back, relax, and think about the progress you've made, or the good things ahead. This past week was definitely one of those for me, and with the Cubs winning the World Series, emotions were high. I realized that there are so many little things to be grateful for in life, and I need to begin appreciating them a whole lot more. So, here are a few "little things" that we should never take for granted in daily life.

1. Smiles
Not everyone gets to see one everyday, and not everyone wants to make one everyday. The person who smiles at you on the street, your best friend who makes you smile when she makes plans with you for the weekend, the smile you get when your significant other says good morning to you. There are so many reasons to smile, and we are lucky we get to do it and feel the happiness that comes along with it.

2. Music
It has been said that music is wonderful therapy, and I truly believe that. Think about it. We listen to music at the gym, walking to class, on the train heading to work, in the car, on the radio, while we clean, when we do homework, when we go out dancing, during the holiday season, and so much more. A world without music would be very different, and I truly believe it would make for a world with great sadness, as it would take away from most of our daily activities.

3. Showering or even a bath
There are many people out there who bathe in rivers, and there are many who do not bathe at all. We are lucky to have luxurious bathtubs or shower heads where we can use shampoo and really feel clean. This is something many of us take for granted, but we need to remember that being clean is simply not something we all get to be.

4. The Sun
We never think that the sun will one day never come up because we know that there is a cycle and that it always will. But what would life be like if we had to live in total darkness? What if there was no such thing as sunbathing or simply sitting outdoors on a nice warm day? We would feel an emptiness that would be impossible to fill.

With these little things in mind, I am going to make a goal for myself. Each night before I go to sleep, I want to think about all I have in my life that I love and treasure. I want to remember that I am lucky, no matter the terrible day I might have had. I will be grateful for what I have been given, and I will not ask for more. I will stop being annoyed by the things that don't matter, and I will learn to enjoy life on a deeper level. We have only got one, we better make it the best it can be.