Thanksgiving is a time to realize what is important to us. We sit down on the big day and think about how thankful we are for the people surrounding us.

Not a lot of people think beyond this, though. Have you ever thought about how you were chosen to have this amazing life? Sure, life is not perfect. There will be mistakes and there will be tragedies. But have you ever considered it was luck?

How did I get this lucky? I'm writing this article on a laptop, in my residence hall with the sound of all my friends laughing in the hallway. We have Christmas music blaring even though it is not even December yet. I just got back from my final class of the day at a university I love. When I finish I'll probably call one of my amazing family members and tell them about my day.

We all have those days where we think the world is against us. It shouldn't take Thanksgiving to realize what you're thankful for. Every day you should feel lucky for just that: having a new day to celebrate. Whether it's a rainy Monday or a cold winter night, we're lucky to be surrounded by everything good in our lives.

I'm thankful that I'm this lucky.

I'd like to quickly thank a couple people (or things?) who have proven that my luck isn't running out:

My family: need I say more?

My education : everyday I get to learn something new that one day might inspire me to make a change in this world. Whether it's me flunking my calc exam or building a robot in Intro to Engineering, it's always teaching me something.

My friends back home : you know who you special ones are. You keep me grounded, even when we're miles away. We never seem far apart at all.

And finally, my Western New England family: Words cannot describe the happiness I feel at this school. I have never met people who I've connected with so quickly, and people I will miss more than anything when the semester ends. Thank you guys for putting up with my random questions and my slight freak outs. You guys make me feel truly lucky.

"Luck is believing you're lucky."