Aren’t we lucky?
Every day that I can learn something new, or see something that amazes me, surprises me, I relish. Every day I can have some sort of wonder, I really appreciate. Recently, my eldest’s teacher shared with him a video that made realize just how amazingly lucky we are.
We live in a day and age where we have so many opportunities. We can say what we think. We can love who we love. We can watch what we want, we can enjoy what we want… we can be. We just be who we want, where we want, and … that’s okay.
Aren’t we lucky?
Our children get to grow as they want. They get to play with the children they meet, do the sports they choose, wear the clothes they like, and … live. They get to be children. They get to enjoy life, laugh, and be curious and discover new things, amazing things, and beautiful things. They, too, get to be.
Aren’t we lucky?
I see more and more, we can make a difference. ‘we’ little people we, not ‘big capital W.E ‘ we. We can be two people having a conversation about how to make a difference, and turning Lent into a city-wide donation and fund-raising effort. We can be a mom who takes care of thousands of lost, injured, or deserted pets. We can be a family who fosters. We can be a woman who knits scarves for soldiers who might not stay as warm without. We can be the retiree who devotes her spare time to the Food Bank that assists those with less resources to have additional nourishments and make ends meet. We can be a North Korean teenager with a message about bravery and a commitment to more for her homeland. We can be a blood donator. Or we donate a kidney. Or drop a quarter in the Salvation Army red buckets at holiday time because that is what we have to spare. We can help. We can reach out. We can help the situation of others. We can look outside the box and see what difference a little effort can make. We don’t have to be celebrities. We don’t have to get a thank you. We don’t have to get an award. We just can make a difference because that feels is important. We can reach out because that’s what we do, we help others when they need it. We reach out because maybe, after we see the situation of another, we see that we have more and we want to share some of our good fortune with those who have not been quite so blessed.
Aren’t we lucky?
Our children get to learn. They get to attend amazing schools with computers and smart screens and an amazing wealth of adult knowledge. They get to read books – new books and old books – and they get to use the cloud for sharing information. They get to meet kids from all over the globe. They get to learn about unfamiliar cultures and share insights about their own. They get to give presentations and have discussions and cross-pollinate what they know with what their classmates have acquired. They get to take joy in the differences around them, embracing each distinction as a positive quality. They get to be color-blind, seeing people for their friend-worthiness.
Aren’t we lucky?
We as expats get to discover. We get to lead this life of exploration, meeting people, seeing cultures, sharing insights. We get to share our culture, the beauty, joy and resilience that is ‘America.’ We get to be our unique selves, and be accepted. We get to return to the States, embrace the splendor of the ‘land of the plenty’ and relish our time before we return to our (current) countries of residence; either end of the journey reminding us of how lucky we are to be American, and how lucky we are to live where we live; how lucky we are to get the best of both worlds.
Aren’t we lucky?
There are days I forget my good fortune. There are days I forget to reach out or appreciate or acknowledge. I am so grateful for the reminders. After which I can, again, consider myself lucky.