Sometimes life gets tough and we lose touch of reality. It is easy to forget how lucky we are for what we have that others may not. Most are quick to take for granted what they consider the "given" parts of life, but these parts are also the most important. Life can be taken from us in an instance, we must appreciate everything in the moment, whether it is something exhilarating or something simple. Life is short, make sure you stop to look around every once in a while and remember why you are so lucky to have what you do.

1. Our Bodies

The human body is an amazing thing, yet we fail to remember how important it is to properly take care of it. Not only physically but mentally. Stare in the mirror and be proud of the fact that you have stretch marks- it shows how your body has grown. Instead of ridiculing the extra skin that hangs from the bottom of your arm, remind yourself how lucky you are to have the motion to be able to lift it high enough to notice there is any in the first place.

Admire the way your smile is slightly lopsided and how your eyes squint as you laugh, these are all signs you have the ability to move your body whether in happiness, or sadness. We are quick to judge the way our bodies look yet never stop to think how lucky we are to have the sight to see, the legs to walk, the hands to write, the heart to love, but most of all our beautifully made body itself, which is what helps us to make memories much more important than the thought of our thighs jiggling just a little more than we would like.

2. Our Ability to Say How We Feel

How scary, yet wonderful it is to know you can freely tell the person next to you how much you love their laugh, or on the contrary, that their tapping is annoying the hell out of you. Life moves fast, relationships with people change in a snap of a finger, tomorrow is not guaranteed, tell someone how you feel. How sad to think our biggest regrets can consist of not telling the person we love how much they mean to us before its too late when this is one of the largest freedoms we have.

Telling someone how you feel is scary, you are vulnerable, emotionally naked, but it is this action that can create relationships and passions you never knew were possible. Tell someone you don’t like the way they speak to you when you are sitting in class, call your grandpa and tell him that without him your life would be a dimmer place, tell your significant other their intelligence and kindness is empowering. But most crucially, tell yourself how you feel, whether it is that you are unhappy with the way you have been jealous of the people around you (instead of admiring them), or that it makes you feel happy to take long walks around your block in the sunlight. Don’t take for granted your ability to speak your feelings; it is a wonderful freedom that can change yours or someone else’s perspective.

3. Our education

How many times have you woken up on a Monday morning and nearly wanted to rip your hair out knowing you had to leave your warm, comfortable bed only to be greeted by a bunch of people you disagree with, assignments you don’t want to do, and an uncomfortable chair that leaves you wondering if the bones in your butt will ever recover? Let’s just say you most likely could not count on your hands and feet. Now, imagine this, you are living in an impoverished country, without the access to education, you wonder how the clouds form, and how your country became a country, but you don’t have the opportunity to learn. It seems extreme to think this way, but it is something we must remember.

Education is a privilege, although it should be a human right. How desolate to think of a life without our ability to learn and understand the world around us. The power of reading and writing is much more substantial than we may understand, the fact that we can do such things because of our education should be reason enough to prioritize our learning above the comfort of our sheets. Our simple joys in life have been highlighted by the fact that we can understand them in advanced ways due to what we have learned. So, next time you are questioning, “what terrible person would create this idea of learning in a confined space for practically 18 years of your life" (dependent on your college experiences and such...) think about how lucky you are to understand the science of how a living body grows inside another body, or the fact that you can check you have received the correct change from the cashier without the use of a calculator.

4. The Money we Have for the Items we Need

It is easy to be discouraged thinking about how your friend recently took a trip to Turks and Caicos “just because” and you’re babysitting children who are drooling on your statistics textbook. Or to think about the celebrities which can buy out the entire store of Sephora with one paycheck, while you may have to choose whether you want the more expensive yet better tasting ice cream, or the cheaper, not so creamy ice cream.

When these thoughts occur keep in mind what is sitting right in front of you - What layers you on the coldest day of the year, and what nourishes your body on a day you play soccer with friends. Instead of pouting about the dress you wish was about $300 less than it is, beam at the fact that you have a bed to lie on at night, a fridge full of food, a roof covering your head, and a toilet to use. Unfortunately, some people cannot beam at the same.

5.The Little Things

It is a Monday, you lost your brand new sunglasses last night in the city, your teacher posted a grade you are not so fond of, and your best friend decided your birthday week was conveniently the best week to book a trip out of the country with their significant other. Ultimately, everything is going wrong. You arrive to your destination, ringing up your lunch your cashier raves about how much she loves your necklace, the same one your deceased grandmother used to rave about as well. A friendly reminder she’s still with you in spirit.

A young boy chasing his father down the hall stops just to make a funny face in your direction, the pure joy and innocence of childhood floods your memory. Your teacher individually praises you for your respect in his classroom, only one of the many reasons you should be proud to be you. The parking lady decides the 20 minutes you parked in the parking garage was not enough to put a price on it, she let you go for free, you realize people are good even when the media portrays the world differently. It is these little things that can change an awful day, or maybe even save a life.

Smile at the person next to you, even if they look at you with an angry and impatient face, they just might need it the most. Stay a few seconds after class to ask the teacher to explain a topic more in depth and watch the way their eyes light up as they explain to you one of their greatest passions, it is a refreshing sight. It is these little, simple things we are quick to take for granted. One small action can change your day or someone else’s, do a little thing, you will realize you just might make a big impact.