Someone just asked me how I was and I responded, “Life is decent other than the fact that my glasses fall down every two seconds.” As soon as I realized what I had said, I realized another thing: how grateful I am to have such a problem. Now I’m sitting here writing this because I don’t think we’re thankful enough for our problems. One of my favorite quotes in the movie "About Time" is when the main character‘s sister has been in a bad car wreck:
“There’s a song by Baz Luhrmann called 'Sunscreen. He says worrying about the future is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life will always be things that never crossed your worried mind.”
Even through the hours of studying, the number of emotional breakdowns, and lack of hours of sleep this week…we should be thankful that we have to take exams because that means a number of things. For me, and all the other females in this school, it means that we live in a country where women’s education is valued. For males it means that we live in a time where the sons of the family don’t have to quit school to help the family financially. And being here at Darlington, well, we are even luckier. Yes, the teachers may be harder, the homework might be longer, but that’s because someone believed we could handle it. I may not like my teachers sometimes but that’s usually because I’m blaming them for the work I’m too lazy to do. Since I came here my eighth-grade year, I have experienced more passion from teachers than I had ever even heard of.
Whenever something is annoying or frustrating or problematic, I’m going to be more thankful. Even when my parents are yelling at me to clean my room, I will be thankful. I have two married parents that care and I have my own room to clean that is covered in my own clothes that were bought new and have since been washed several times because we have our own washing machine. I will be thankful, even, when I have “absolutely nothing to wear” because I’m just extremely indecisive and having two closets of clothes doesn’t help. When I am having a creative block rather it be in my writing or in my art, I will be thankful because God has blessed me with a talent that allows me to live out loud. I am thankful now, even, with having such a hard time deciding where I want to go to college. Once again, not only do I live in a time where I can get a college education, but I also have a family that supports whatever decision I make, never forcing me to choose what they want instead of what I want. I am thankful for all the years I struggled here at Darlington, because it has prepared me for college and for life.
It’s silly, and even ridiculous, but we should be thankful for our problems. Perhaps, if we begin to do this, it’ll appear that we have a lot less problems than we once thought. If this doesn’t work, just look out your window. I find that nature always brings me back.
