As Thanksgiving approaches, we are all thinking about what to say at the dinner table when we go around saying what we are thankful for. It's easy to say your family, or your job, or your significant other, or your best friend--obvious things, but things that you should be thankful for nonetheless. We sometimes may struggle to come up with something a little less obvious and you ask to be skipped over as it comes to be your turn, just so you have a little bit more time to think. However, we are so surrounded by blessings that maybe it’s time to step back and recognize how thankful we really ought to be.
Give thanks for a healthy body.
Most of us have functioning arms, legs, hands, and feet. Not everyone in the world is capable of walking, running, dancing, writing, holding up a child, getting dressed on their own… the list could go on. Most of us can hear pretty well. Being able to hear is something that we take for granted. Most of us can see pretty well. If you can’t see well, chances are you were fortunate enough to have access to healthcare, and consequently you have glasses or contacts to make your vision better. We have the skills of chewing our own food. We are able to speak coherent sentences so that others can understand our needs and wants. Our bodies do so much for us, and we need to be thankful that they continue to function relatively smoothly.
Give thanks for healthcare.
Here in the U.S., we have access to doctors and dentists and optometrists and dermatologists at virtually every street corner. We have access to medicines and treatments and services to help us feel as healthy as possible. Not everyone has insurance (or insurance that covers everything), so they may not be able to afford going to the doctor frequently, but they have access to clean, reliable, safe healthcare if they need it. Not everyone in the world has access to a hospital that can take an x-ray of a broken bone, but in the U.S., we have a surplus of almost any medical device at any given doctors office.
Give thanks for water.
We can take a hot shower in almost any shower anywhere in the U.S. We can wash our hands and dishes with the tap water and not think twice about what may have been in the water. In many cities, tap water is suitable to drink, and if it isn’t, most people have fridges with filters to get clean water that way. At every grocery store and even some clothing stores, they sell bottled water. If you go to a restaurant, they won't charge you for water. We have access to hot water and to clean water, and that isn’t a luxury that the entire world gets to enjoy.
Give thanks for heat.
When it gets cold in the winter, all we have to do is push a few buttons or turn a few knobs and the house gets warmer. This is a gift that we all appreciate, but forget to recognize how big of a deal it is that we have it.
Give thanks for electricity and electronics.
We are all almost always using some form of electricity and an electronic or two. Give thanks for the lights in your house and the appliances in your kitchen and the elevators you use and the cash registers and card readers you use to pay for just about everything. We are able to cook and move and see and do almost everything just a little bit easier with the help of electricity. We all have our smartphones and laptops and tablets that help us do our homework (or our job), help us stay connected with friends and family far away, help us learn about the world around us, and help to entertain us with a click of a button (Netflix, I’m looking at you). This is not to say that we couldn’t do any of these things without electricity and electronics, because none of us truly need them, but they make life easier and we are very attached to the lifestyle we've built around them.
Give thanks for being stressed out about class.
This probably seems a bit like it may be a typo, but I promise I’m serious. Speaking for myself, I know I’m thankful for the opportunity, means, and experience of going to college. I am thankful that I have the opportunity to continue to learn and grow as both a student and a person. I am thankful for the means to, financially, be capable of going to college. I am thankful for the experience of living in a new place and learning how to be an adult who sort of takes care of herself. So give thanks for the fact that you even have classes to be stressed out about.
I could continue to discuss my blessings (but then this article would take an hour to read), but I hope that the things I've mentioned have inspired insight and shed a new light on the blessings in your life.