By J.D. Eddy, Editorial Editor
This time of year, people have a lot to be thankful for. Make sure that you are thankful for the people around you, for the life you have and that you are alive now.
Today, most of us like to have separate time away from our parents or other family. I am the same way. I enjoy not being around my parents sometimes, but I understand that one day, they won’t be around.
So, the point is to enjoy the time you have with them now. Go see your grandpa anytime you can. Visit your parents. If you can, call them to talk about your day, visit old friends whenever you have time and just be thankful for what you have now. Do this before you miss all these memories.
With Thanksgiving around the corner, be sure to take some time to appreciate the holiday and what this holiday means at its core. Thanksgiving has the word “thank” in the name; it is self-explanatory. That sounds condescending, but the point of the holiday is to appreciate what you have.
We tend to think that the things we have will be around all the time, when in reality, everything on this planet is finite.
Time is the biggest enemy of humankind, so make sure you use yours fully. Extend it by doing what you think is right, going out, starting that business, finishing school or whatever you want to do.
It took me quite a bit of time to figure this out. Not to sound depressing, but I lost my Grandpa in October 2019 because of cancer. I was not the best grandson, always having something better to do, but I tried to spend more time with him during my first year of college.
He moved to Tuttle in 2016 to be closer to his family after his wife passed away. I never appreciated what this man did before he passed, but after I understood, he moved down to watch my last years of high school. He was able to watch me graduate, attend college and play collegiate sports. I miss him every day and regret not spending more time with him after he passed.
This is not to bring down what I said or to put a dark cloud over the otherwise positive aspect of Thanksgiving. This is just to give reasoning as to why you should be thankful for what you have. As I said, we only have a limited time on this planet, and being able to appreciate these things will help you make it through the day.
It’s not just about being thankful for the large things in life; there are small things to be appreciated as well.
Some things for me are being appreciative of having a car, being in good health and being able to go to school. There are always things to appreciate in life, no matter how small they are or how insignificant they seem.
I understand that everyone comes from different backgrounds, cultures and different situations. If you feel like there is nothing to be thankful for, that’s fine. It’s up to you to find something to be thankful for, and not because I am telling you to. It’s your life, not mine, and you choose how to live it.
If you have any thoughts about this and you want to voice your opinion about it, write a letter to Northwestern News. I would be more than happy to put it on the opinion page. If you don’t want to I understand, but it would be appreciated by me and the News team.
Happy Thanksgiving!