14 October 2013

Be Thankful

In the midst of being thankful for my big, adventurous and happy life I am also trying to take the time to be thankful for things that might otherwise be taken for granted. I can't help but think back to the time in Ghana when my friends and I started listing off all of the big and small things we were thankful for. Like food, drinkable water, electricity, internet, mosquito nets, hospitals, chocolate, education, new friends, the kindness of strangers and so much more.  We could not stop ourselves and the list went on for a long while. But the truth is, I am thankful for life itself. My life has been amazing, even with the hardships that I have faced I know that it is more than I deserve.

 I am thankful for the amazing year that life has thrown me  and all of the lovely people who have stuck by my side through all of the good and bad. I have witnessed unconditional love from my family and friends and with it I have learned anything is possible, even when it comes to going after your own dreams and happiness. Without that support my actions and decisions would have been a lot harder to make and be a lot more meaningless.

Most importantly I am thankful for the endless opportunities that I have here in Canada. The first example is sometimes I think "wow... how amazing is it that I have access to credit and can take out a student loan, just so that I can move out and be close to school? I can shape my life however I want? I can't believe how lucky I am!". Another example is how I visited a health clinic here in Calgary. I simply walked in and said I needed help, they took me in right away no questions asked, there were multiple nurses and doctors there to help, the office was clean, quiet and organized, they openly discussed my problem and their solution, but most amazingly I walked in and out free of charge. You might think, a typical visit to any health clinic in Canada right? Well when I compare this experience to my hospital experience in Ghana, I am overwhelmed with gratitude at how lucky I am to have such an amazing system. Not that the hospital in Ghana was remotely bad to say the least, it is just different than what I am used to and probably has less resources. Lastly, of course I have to be above all grateful for my education and job opportunities that are present in my life. These two things are really all anyone in the world needs to get there life moving in a positive direction and many people lack as much opportunity and choice that I have.

People of the world need to have equal capabilities and opportunities to make free decisions in life if there is ever to be true equality. Clearly... another "too-big" dream of mine.
Obviously there is also too much to be thankful for this thanksgiving! And I will go on using my gratitude to stay happy in my life so that I may spread happiness in the lives of others. Above all I am most grateful for continuously finding new meanings of grace as it has become the word which defines my life. I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving and hope that you all take the time to also be thankful for the things that you would otherwise take for granted.







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