Instances of Gratitude

“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.”

– Oprah Winfrey

Years ago, I followed my Aunt to a general hospital where she took one of her own Aunts who was suffering from an ailment. I was being sent on errands in the hospital. While walking around the hospital, I saw patients outside begging to be attended to and how their families were pleading to have a chance to go inside as they weren't comfortable sitting outside under the hot sun. That was when I knew gratitude is important. For a person like me who wasn't sick, neither was I begging to stay inside, isn't that enough to show gratitude? Many times, we don't appreciate something in our hands until we lose it, before we can realize we should have held onto it tightly until it slipped off our hands.

I started reading a book a few days ago and I am really enjoying it as it talks about money and how to save. I got to a part where I read and I know it's very expedient for us to be grateful, even if little in our hands, many people are craving to have what we have. We need to know that everything we have that is in our possession right now is a gift to us, whereas not many people are opportune to have such a gift given to them.

You can read books: I was made to know that according to UNESCO, there are 26 percent of the World's Adult Population who are illiterate. There are people in many countries such as North Korea, Syria, Iran, China, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam who have been restricted tightly to the access of reading books, newspapers and even the internet. We can also see some people around us who aren't privileged to be educated or move out from being illiterate because of so many factors surrounding them, one of them is poverty. You are here and can read and write. You have access to books and gain enough knowledge while learning. You should see yourself as the lucky one who has got the gift to read.

You are not hungry: I know most of us reading this right now, for the past 24 hours, you might have eaten three square meals if not two. Have you ever had to, for a day, think of what to eat, or the fear of not knowing what to eat? According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, it is estimated that 870 million people all over the world are suffering from what we call "Chronic hunger". So many children are malnourished due to not seeing food to eat. Food is a gift and you eat it also, you are lucky. We need to be grateful. Many times, I eat twice a day, it isn't because I don't have anything to eat but I just do not want to because I am already filled up for that moment. Now, think of those who haven't taken anything at all for the whole day and the fear that comes when they do not know what the next day might bring to them.

You have a place to sleep tonight: Have you been to the Under bridge before? Have you stepped outside to see people suffering and not having a place to rest their heads? You already have a place to sleep tonight. You woke up from your beautiful bed this morning and had it well spread neatly in preparation for tonight, whereas those outside are envying the privilege you have. Even if it's just a mat spread on the floor in a small room apartment you got for yourself, it is far better than none. Having a place to sleep, not worrying about thieves or bad people coming to disturb you, is something you have to be grateful for. Go and see those sleeping where they do not wish to but we are given a gift to sleep in our own beautiful house.

You can turn on the lights: Even though the electricity system in our countries is bad, we still have to pay our bills and expect to see light anytime to do whatever we want. Many of us even have generators in case light goes off, just because we don't want to stay in darkness. Think of those who never have access to electricity, everything about their lives is total darkness. Are we better than them? I remembered the city we relocated to. For five years, we never saw electricity but thank God for our landlord who would turn on his generator every night. At least we saw light. What about those who do not have light or Generator? We need to understand that light is a gift around us.

You are not thirsty: There are countries who do not have access to clean water and I came to know that 780 million people do not have access to this clean water, but someone like you already drank a glass of water or more. For me, I drank two glasses of clean water this morning. I once heard of a town where they do not have water, they depend on their own urine to drink and even some would have to swallow back their spit. We don't value what we have until we lose it. Water is so important but some do not have it. Water is a gift which we must be grateful for. Many children have died of water related diseases due to lack of good water.

We need to practice the attitude of gratitude for what we have because there are those who want to have what you have but could not. Be grateful always for things you are privileged to have or see.

Thanks for reading

Image by Nathan on unsplash

[March 29, 2022] (No 88 article for the year)