Gratitude

                S and I were having a discussion yesterday about where we were in life and where we want to be. He was talking about how he regrets missing out on so many family moments in Romania, especially precious time we could be spending with our aging grandparents. I completely understood where he was coming from, I also get these feelings quite frequently. We both have a clear picture of the direction we want our lives to go in, but we're also acutely aware of the obstacles we would have to face (mostly financial and temporal) to get there. I don't know if we'll ever get to live in Romania, though we'd both like to, I don't know if it's a possibility.
                As we were talking about this, however, I started realizing how much we were throwing around the expressions "we want" and "I want." Yes, it's human nature to want things. I find myself constantly wishing for all kinds of things ranging from new clothes, new shoes, a new car, a house, another lifestyle, etc. etc. etc. But I guess the thing about always "wanting" is that it makes you forget that the things you do have already are not guaranteed to be there forever. We both are lucky to have the things we have. The fact that we have food in our fridge, clothes in our closet, and a roof (albeit a rented one) over our heads already makes us wealthier than most people on this planet. Not to mention the fact that we have other things like: each other, a supportive family, good health, general safety, access to vital resources, etc. We forget these things sometimes, it's extraordinarily easy to do. But, I've come to believe that we are always richer than we think we are. As I sit here looking around our little apartment, I see a home that the both of us have filled with warmth and love. I don't know if it's the Thanksgiving spirit that has been coming over me--but I find myself growing much more aware of how fortunate I am to have what I have. Though I know that I still have a lot of wishes for my future (especially for the unknown future of next year), I'm also encouraging myself to take it easy this year to just enjoy where I am right now. I very sincerely have placed it upon myself to enjoy all that Chicago has to offer and I hope to make the best of my time here. After all, the only thing we really know about life is that we have it and that can only mean that we should live it as much as we can, right? So let's see where that takes us.