grateful

What kind of a reminder are we talking about? A reminder that at any given moment, the rug can be pulled from underneath you. A reminder that nothing in life is stagnant. Blessings and opportunities come and go like the seasons, and it’s your job to remind yourself of such.

Where am I going with this, you ask? I recently went to see Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant. It’s a movie about an American Sergeant serving during the Afghan war against the Taliban. His team specialized in locating and destroying IED (explosive devices) factories. Riding along with the team is an Afghan interpreter working for the biggest meal ticket of his life – an American Visa for his family. During a mission, things go completely awry, and the entire team gets wiped out by the Taliban except for the Sergeant and the Afghan interpreter. What ensued were well-directed series of scenes filled with emotions. As I watched these two try to survive and escape the hellish grip of the Taliban through the unforgiving and desolate mountains of Afghanistan, I couldn’t stop myself from thinking how bless and lucky I am. As much good exists in this world, there is much more evil lurking in every corner. Evil that many of us will never have to experience because we have been shrouded from such evils and have been blessed with a life of luxury. On the other hand, there are millions who aren’t so fortunate. Taking the Afghan interpreter as an example who sacrificed it all to save this American Sergeant during their journey through the desolate mountains of Afghanistan depicted the desperation of so many wishing and hoping to be in the position that we westerners are. The position that so many of us spit on a daily basis due to greed, jealousy, and envy.

Not to further spoil the film, I’d like to end by saying once again to remind yourself that nothing in life is constant. Learn to practice gratefulness and thankfulness. Be motivated but be grateful. Be ruthless in your pursuit of self-improvement for the betterment of yourself and loved ones but also be thankful. And if you find it to be a daunting task, picture yourself in the shoes of those living in war torn countries, or those living in areas where water and food are inaccessible, or where diseases run rampant, and medicine is nowhere to be found. Only then will you be able to arm your mind with a reminder worth more than gold.

Oh and one more thing, do yourself a favor, go out and experience this film –

Hump day is coming to a close while thanksgiving day patiently waits around the corner. This year has been a year to remember or to forget depending on who you talk to. Many have lost while a plethora of others have gained. Tears were shed. Joyous moments were found. Yet through it all, a good majority of us will be gathering at a dinner table tomorrow to give thanks. What does it mean to give thanks? What does it mean when we say we are grateful?

Recently, the company I work for hired a man in his late twenties to support in the day to day operations. We got off to a good start and ever since, our relationship has matured quite a bit. To describe him as a positive and jovial individual would not do him justice. He constantly walks around with a contagious smile on his face and is always on the prowl to spring a laugh out of someone. Then, one day, while discussing with him the implications of Covid-19 and the nagging feeling of lack of freedom hunting most of the population, he opens up and reveals that he lost his mother to the Ebola virus in 2014. A year prior, his father succumbed from a heart attack. You can imagine my facial expression after his confession. I immediately stopped talking and just listened. He went on for an hour. As I drove home later that evening, I began to ponder the true meaning of gratefulness. I began to question if there’s truly weight to the words “I’m grateful” when spoken into existence. We say and preach it repeatedly, yet at the slightest minute sign of struggle or discomfort, we verbally or physically go off the rails. Are we then really grateful? Or has it become just another unquestioned expression to the likes of “Bless you”?

As we gather tomorrow with family members and friends, I hope we can find it within us to contemplate on the meaning of being thankful and grateful. As someone once told me, it’s not something you inherently possess. Instead, it is practiced every day.
Happy Thanksgiving!