Be Thankful For What You Have

A Cup of Tea

Can Change Your Life

The other day I stopped at a local café to have a tea. I had been frequenting this café for a few days and somewhat befriended the owner. A young Turkish man not much older than myself. He is a hard-worker and a very knowledgeable individual, speaking nearly 6 languages.

On this day after he brought my tea, I drank it slowly as I read a paper and observed the people walking down the sidewalk. As there were few people in the café, I began to talk with the owner as I had on some of the other days. We talked for several minutes as I drank my tea.  Once I finished my tea and was nearly ready to leave, he said something that will never leave me. It came from our conversation on traveling, and it solidified something that has weighed on me a lot in the recent weeks. It will likely seem simple to you as a reader, but the words were quite profound in my mind. What he said to me was:

“En esta vida trabajo mucho, ojalá que en la próxima, lo será mas divertido.”

Translation: In this life I work hard, I hope (god-willing) that in my next life, it will be more fun.

A simple phrase, but something that can change your complete perspective if you allow it.

In the recent weeks, I do not know why, but I have been noticing others with disabilities and obvious shortcomings, even the poor, more than normal. I am typically an above-average observer, but this is different. I am no stranger to people with disabilities or those less fortunate as I have family who work with them. Recently, I have seen people regularly with disabilities partly because they have been staying in the same place as me, but also those in the streets or on the beach. For example, the other day I watched a man with a limb leg carry himself with crutches from the sea. He just went to feel the ocean, but he couldn’t swim as many of us can.

It seems to me that we far too often get caught up in our own existence or what is next for us that we forget how lucky we are just to be able to have options, or to have the ability to think logically about what we want. There are millions of people out there who will never enjoy the same luxuries that you have nor have the ability to experience the 5 senses that we commonly take for granted. Even as I travel around, I have to stop myself often in the midst of being exhausted or negative tell myself to shove it. I have a lot to be grateful for. The ability to see what I have the opportunity of seeing. The ability to walk down the street and feel, hear, smell, and taste what I can. Even the ability to walk down the street in the first place. Traveling in of it self, is a luxury that is only available to a very small percentage of people in this world. You must realize how fortunate you are to see the things that you have seen.

One flick of a switch and you could have been born somewhere else. One  minute change in DNA and you could have been a completely different you. 

So today, I ask you, turn of the electronics, the attitudes, the negativity, or whatever you are holding on to, and give a serious thanks for being who you are. And absolutely never forget, what responsibility comes with being who you are. You have talents and abilities that no one else has, you must use them or they have been in vain. Be a thankful traveler.

Make a great day!

 

If you enjoyed this article, you may enjoy others like a Life Lesson from a Bengali boy or being thankful.