“Don’t take this for granted” has been a phrase I've been told throughout my entire life, in reference to an abundance of things. However, I always wondered, what does this phrase really mean? I never really knew whether or not I was 'taking things for granted'. I just knew of what I had in my life and lived accordingly. I had a beautiful home, a loving family, and was blessed to be able to live without much financial constraint. I grew up and was able to get my own car, go away to college, and soon go on to live in a wonderful apartment with my friends. All of these things, to me, was just normal. It was normal to go away to college, to come home to my entire family on holiday breaks, and to sleep in a bedroom I was able to call my own. It was normal to go on summer vacations, to go to sports games with my dad, and to go out shopping with my mom.
It often takes a tragedy to really understand just how fortunate you are. It takes losing something or someone to realize how lucky you were to have it in the first place. It takes seeing others go through something horrible to truly think about how blessed you are with what you fortunately aren’t going through. You never think the last moment, whatever that may be, is the last moment. The sad truth is that any moment really could be the last. This is the reality of our world, and it sucks.
There are so many little things in the world that are so precious. Instead of waking up dreading the day ahead of you, you should wake up feeling thankful to be able to live that day. Be grateful for both the opportunity and ability to spend it doing things that are productive and exciting. If you are tired on a Monday morning after a long, fun-filled weekend, think about the people who are tired on a Monday morning from battling an illness, or from working 3 jobs just to pay their rent. Whenever you think that you have it bad, remember that someone always has it worse. Each and every one of us has something to be thankful for, and it’s only a matter of realizing how privileged we are when we can officially stop 'taking things for granted'.
There are things that most people do every single day that I would go through hell and back to do just one more time. Take nothing for granted, and treat all that you have as prized possessions. Begin your day with the hopes that it could be the most beautiful day of your life. Life is short, life is unpredictable, but you are still very blessed.
