I think most of us have been told by a wiser, older being, to stop complaining and be grateful for what we have. For some, it was our parents, grandparents, or that grumpy aunt most of us had. Maybe it was a teacher. Though, no matter who it was for you, being grateful should be a common childhood lesson. But as children always are, we never really take the advice given to us or realize the credibility of it till we’re older.
While currently writing this, I’m reading Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, and this book that follows the growth of four sisters is filled with lessons we can all take to heart. A quote that got me thinking about appreciating the little things was Mrs. March advice to her daughters, “When you feel discontented, think over your blessings, and be grateful.” Recently, I haven’t been in the greatest mindset mentally, and it’s really hard to feel content sometimes. A person just lets their inner demons take over, and ruin us completely with envy, shame, and hate. We should all try to be better people, and take pride in the little things. Though, words are harder than actions.
I’m going to try to show you, and myself, how in personal situations where everything seems the opposite of joy, there is stuff we can be grateful for. No matter how in the moment, we can never see anything but suffering, there is something to look for.
As a child, I was always sick, there wasn’t one week where I wasn’t throwing up, battling a fever, in a fit of coughing, or any other flu symptom. Even though I never liked the amount of needles I had to get, to keep the viruses that loved me at bay, at least I wasn’t living in a hospital battling a chronic illness. My sister was, but at least it wasn’t me. (A dark turn, but fasten your seatbelts for what is coming.)
Before you continue reading, I’d like to warn that some of the things I will discuss might be a trigger for some. Know you are loved and appreciated, and don’t be afraid and seek help from a trusting person. Hug yourself right now, and compliment yourself. You have lovely hair, lovely eyes, and a lovely personality.
Something I never was happy about growing up was living my childhood with my grandma, and getting raised by my aunt. My aunt was vicious, and there is no kinder way to describe her. She was a bitter woman, and she loved to take her anger out on me and my little sisters. Her favorite form of degradation was physical abuse at its finest. I had to be perfect, and if I wasn’t, there was an iron hand to show me how. With all the times I got beat up for my 97% on my science test, at least I wasn’t living out on the streets. I didn’t mingle with the wrong kind of people you know. It is usually known that people who have an unstable dynamic at home, find their stability out on the streets in negative ways. I’m grateful I didn’t fall into that, and found acceptance with the wrong crowd. I did grow up to be a reserved person, but at least this trait has helped me to stay out of trouble. To avoid snakes, as gen z slang calls it. The world is scary, and full of scary people, but what comes out of it are tough people. With every bad experience, something broken comes out of it, but at a certain angle, this “brokenness” shows something whole, something that survived. Painful memories are hard to put into words, and to make something positive out of suffering is harder. Though, as a form of therapy, we should all try to do so, and practice optimism. I was never an optimist, some would say I’m a pessimist, but I like to call this as being a realist.
I saw this saying somewhere, and I liked it, and applied it here.
No matter how much my childhood sucks, and how this torment continued to a certain degree throughout my teenage years, I want to look for things to be grateful for. To give light to my memories. For instance, I’ve met so many fun people along the way, and created better memories with them. I’m grateful for them, even though they are no longer there. I’m also grateful for the many things I acquired throughout the years. When I was a child it was toys, when I was a teen it was books. I always had less than others around me, but I have to think there are others worse off than me. I never had to worry about food, for example, but millions out there do so everyday. There is a hadith by our Islamic Prophet Muhammed PBUH that said “Look at those below you and do not look at those above you, for it is the best way not to belittle the favours of Allah.” I do live in a religious household, and care about my religion deeply. There is guidance in every religion though, and religious guidance is something to be grateful for as well.
Overall, the lesson of this blog is to practise a little gratitude, and to find it somewhere. We all live different lives, and as a reader, you definitely see this. Though, as humans we have emotions, and one of our many is gratitude. We’re moving as a society towards a route where all emotions are valid, and we shouldn’t shun our bad ones, though we should still learn to practise the good when the bad are becoming too strong. We need to strive for a balance. Hopefully, from now on, finding balance becomes a habit we all grow into.
