Thankful

Its post Thanksgiving, and all I can think about is…I am so freakin’ thankful. I wanted to write about anything else. Something that wouldn’t make me the cliché, hallmark poster child, for “I just stuffed my face, and now I’m uber thankful.” But my feelings are not just some product of American Consumerism. I genuinely have never felt so incredibly thankful.

 
When you really take the time to think about it, how often in the day do we all complain? The Starbucks line is too long, your stomach grumbles a bit in class, and is it really…oh my goodness, could it be, RAINING? Yes you little princesses (including myself), it is raining, and unfortunately, the truth is, we never realize what we do have when we’re counting everything we don’t. We never stop to think, I am so grateful for having this umbrella, these rain boots and a shelter over our heads. It has become so incredibly easy to take everything we have for granted, as all of our amenities have now become normalized. Take a second to consider the conditions around the world and realize what we have is not a given. We have the freedoms, the luxuries and opportunities that some girls are too afraid to think of. Some of our biggest complaints are the least of their problems.
 
So as I stood there this break at the Newseum in DC, staring at a Pulitzer Prize winning picture of a little starving girl, all I could think of is how ungrateful I truly can sometimes be. How I sometimes push aside food because it is not good, healthy, or satisfying enough. We have everything we want at our disposal ladies, which is not something to be ashamed of. However, taking a step back every once in awhile and counting your blessings will keep you both grounded and grateful.