I have never understood what taking things for granted meant. Well, yesterday I researched what it means and I finally understood the meaning.

Taking things for granted means that you assume that things will never change and that whoever or whatever it is, it will always be there. For example, some people don’t think about poverty because they are rich or they live in a great neighborhood. Well, the truth is that there are many people in the world living in poverty; some can’t even afford food or clothing. Another example is that when my dad was young living in rural Tanzania, he told me that he had to wake up at around 5:00 AM every day to walk to school because he lived very far from his school. I did not believe it but on my recent vacation in Tanzania, I saw children in his village walking to the school at 5:00 AM and I was amazed to see them walking alone! Many people in the rural areas live very hard lifestyles, but here in Canada we complain of the little things we want. For example, ”Dad! I want an iphone! Mom! I want a car! I want to get a play station 4. I want new shoes!”. The kids that I saw were going to school barefooted!

Why should we not take things for granted? Let me tell you the reason. We shouldn’t take things for granted because when we do so, those things will be taken away. Sometimes we forget to be grateful for things like food, shelter, clothing, the country we live in, jobs, education, gift of life, the accidents we have avoided, our talents and freedom of speech.

The best way to stop taking things for granted is to be grateful i.e. gratitude; which is the opposite of taking things for granted. Gratitude is being thankful for what you have. By being grateful for what you have, you create a good environment for more expansion. Have gratitude and don’t ignore the blessings under your nose. If you have gratitude, it will change a life of emptiness to one of fulfillment. People who are not grateful are never satisfied and live empty lives.

To have what you want, you have to want what you have!. We take away worry, fear, greed, and envy when we are completely aware of the treasures we already have. You cannot be ungrateful and happy at the same time! There are some great quotes of gratitude to enlighten you. ”Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” – Oprah Winfrey.” Life is a gift. Never take it for granted ” and ”gratitude is the best attitude”.

In conclusion, we have to be thankful for what we have and we ignore so much of the goodness in life, only missing it when it is gone!

Josiah Damian