What comes with being thankful?

What comes with being thankful? Joy? Happiness? Love? Being thankful depends on the perspective of each individual, the challenges they have faced, how they face those challenges, and what being thankful means to them. Some may see thankfulness as something that comes from what you have, rather than seeing the greatness they have achieved, the challenges they have overcome and the people who have supported them and stood by them in times of need. This year we have faced many challenges including job loss, loss of income, loss of social gatherings and adapting to the new format of online learning. With each challenge came potential to fail or to be great. Not only has my school become an online format but my six-year-old son has also switched to an online format for his first-grade class. Though it was a tough transition in the beginning I have tired, failed, and tired again. In learning to teach my son, new ways to learn my own material and adapt to the challenges faced by the pandemic at hand, I have discovered my true potential and what I can achieve if I put my all into my schoolwork. Being thankful is about more than what you are given. Being thankful is about the hardship's we face and the ability to work hard and get though them. For me being thankful is a way of expressing the joys in life that help make who we are and who we have become. Looking back on the challenges we’ve faced and being able to say we made it through them is one of the many reasons to be thankful in today’s world of tragedy.

What would we be if we didn’t learn to adapt? The human brain is made to adapt. Without adaptation we as a human race would not survive. We have faced many things through adaptation, The great depression, 9/11, war and famine. With each depression comes a rise in mental health problems, economic change, an increase in unemployment, uncertainty and fear. The best way to make it through is to work together and never give up. Keep looking forward and stop looking back. To focus on the things you can control, rather than focusing on the things we have no control over. From each experience faced comes new ways to learn and provide for our families. Though the challenges of the current pandemic at hand may be overwhelming at times, we must face them head on and continue our journey forward. Life is not meant to be easy. Taking the time to appreciate the things we do have and the achievement's we have accomplished should be done more often than once a year during the celebration of thanksgiving. It should be done often to raise the spirits of those around us.

This year I am thankful for the opportunity to continue my academic success by switching to an online format in order to complete my associate degree in May of 2021. This year I am thankful for the ability to adapt and continue my academic adventure. Along with this adaptation I have gained the opportunity to join the Phi Theta Kappa honor society due to my GPA being above a 3.5. If it wasn’t for the Covid-19 pandemic I wouldn’t have had the time to dedicate to my education the way I have been able too. This time and dedication made all the difference in achieving honors my last two semesters. This pandemic has opened my eyes to the possibilities and options given with the lack of time wasted on other things. Although I could sit and wallow in the loss of a job and the loss of income to our family, I used that energy to create something positive in my life. I used that energy to strive for academic success and achieve good grades to better my future. If i could go through it again without the pandemic at hand I wouldn't change a thing. I have learned to be thankful for my family who supports me and has helped me along my long journey. I have learned to be thankful for the good health in my family and the fact that none have fallen victim to this awful pandemic. I have learned to live a day at a time and accept the challenges thrown at me. This year I am thankful for the opportunities given and the academic success I have achieve.