You never really realize what you are truly thankful for until you no longer have it. The simplest things that we take for granted everyday could end up being something we really did need. I was never thankful for the ability to walk with ease, but now every step I take is riddled with pain. I was told this week, the day before Thanksgiving, that there is a long list of injuries and other ailments affecting my knee, all of which cause great pain, and all of which have no treatment. I was told that, until my knee completely gives out, I have to endure the pain. And yet, even with a diagnosis like that, I am still thankful. I am thankful that I was able to go to an institute specializing in these types of injuries, and thankful that I have been able to afford the visits, physical therapy, and braces I have needed. Thinking about all of these things made me wonder, what else have I taken for granted? What other aspects of my life should I be more grateful for?

I realized very quickly that I had overlooked the most influential aspect of my life. For years, I had taken my hometown for granted, probably because I had never known anything else. Having now gone off to school, I realized I had a lot to be thankful to Galloway for. For a smallish town, it is incredibly diverse. Walking down the halls of Absegami High School, there never truly felt like there was an overwhelming majority of any race, religion, or other social grouping, and everyone within the school coexisted peacefully. In fact, the whole town coexists peacefully. While the rest of the country faces a serious divide and social unrest, Galloway has continued to go about its accepting-of-all ways. And while Galloway has its faults, it always feels like a safe place to return home to.

I also realized that, just as I am thankful to have grown up in Galloway, I am thankful to have had the opportunity to leave it. Going out of state to go to college, I was able to meet tons of new people that I never would have had the opportunity to meet otherwise. New people that have more in common with me than just the fact that we live in the same town. I have had amazing new experiences that have taught me so much that I would never have had back home. Despite knowing that I will be up to my eyeballs in student loans when I graduate, I am thankful for them because they mean I have had the opportunity to get a quality education while making, what I hope to be, life-long connections along the way.

So, although Thanksgiving has come and gone, that does not mean we as people should stop being thankful for what we have. There are the major things that come to mind when we think of being thankful: our family, our friends. But there is so much out there that many people, myself included, don't realize we should appreciate. Even the things that seem negative, like a poor medical diagnosis or paying back loans, can be turned into positives that we can reflect on. With the trials this country is currently facing, it may not be a bad idea to look at everything in a more positive light, and truly appreciate everything we as American's are able to have this holiday season.