Taking Things for Granted

I take a lot of things for granted. It’s easy living in a first world country and not appreciating the things that surround us that some people may not have. A lot of these things I even feel entitled to. Like I deserve them, just by living. If one person has this, then I feel like it is going to be given to me. Now, looking back at these things, I regret them. The key instances that I took for granted the most was having a dog, having a car, and having a phone. Some of these things I can not change because they are in the past. The others, though, I can learn from and remind myself that to take a second and be thankful for the things I have.

When I was around ten years old, me and my sister begged my parents for a dog. It could have been any kind of dog, just as long as we had one. My parents had consistently said “no”, but christmas rolled around and that “no” actually meant yes. Me and sister knew we were getting one though, due to our great sneaking skills. His name was Murphy and he was a yellow lab. He had huge paws when he was a puppy that he would trip over when walking up the stairs. He liked to bite the corners of the coffee table when he was teething. He also loved to lay in the sunlight, being nice and warm. Murphy had a personality that I have never seen a dog before. I know that if he was human, he would be my best friend. Murphy had many good years with my family. He even traveled all the way from Maine to Nevada- and back- sitting in the front seat of a Uhaul. But dogs needs attention, and our family could not give him all the love he deserved. We were all gone most of the time and my parents decided it was not fair to him. They made an executive decision to send him to one of my moms friends who lived on a farm. I was heartbroken, but not as heartbroken as I would be in the months to come. I remember my last day and goodbye with him. He looked so innocent and completely unaware of what was going to happen. At the time, it did not phase me how much I was going to miss him. But now, even writing this, I tear up at the thought of him never able to see his real family again. This new family would not love him as much as we did or share the same memories that we had with him. They would never know how big his paws were or how he locked himself in closet door when no one was home. And little did I realise I would never be able to sneak him on my bed, gossip to him, lay on him, or even feed him peanut butter ever again. I regret not appreciating him as much as I should. I now wish I could go back and give him one more hug and see if he could recognise me. I took Murphy for granted, and regret not showing him what a proper home was. 

The summer before my junior year, I worked close to thirty hours a week in order to save up for a car. My dad made a deal with me that he would match whatever I paid for a car. At first, I just wanted to save up $2,500.00 for a $5000.00 car. My dad wanted me to save more for a car that would last longer. At the end of the summer, I saved up $3,500.00. I bought my 2012 Dolphin Grey Mazda 3 for $7,500.00. My dad paid the difference. I fell in love with it. I remember driving into school the next day I got it. I felt so cool with my music blasting. I carried my keys on my lanyard for everyone to see. I worked so hard for this car, and now I got it. I could drive all by myself to my destinations. I had more freedom to go places. I had my car for many months with no problem. But then, over this past summer, I needed to get work done on my car. It was my struts. I brought my car into Sullivan Tire and dropped if off with the expectation that it was going to be done by the end of the day. I began to worry around 3:00 when I still had not received a call from them- for they closed at 6:00. A little after 3:00 I got the call that my car would not be ready for that day. I panicked. I NEEDED my car because I worked the next day. I also was worried because I could not hang out with my friends. I reminisced about the times that I did have my car. I was able to do so much! Now, I remind myself to appreciate my freedom and the car that I worked hard for. 

The last thing that I take for granted the most is my phone. Having a phone is a blessing. Being able to communicate with my friends and family has come to a need in my life. But over the summer of my sophomore year, I made a huge mistake and my mom took away my phone. I honestly thought my life was over. What made it worse was the fact that I did not know when I would get it back. This became a really bad time for me. I know it sounds dramatic, but I became really depressed. What I did not realize was the fact that a phone connects you to all your friends. In order to hang out with people, you need a phone to set up plans, especially when it is summer and you do not see everyone as often. During these four months, I did not talk to anyone besides my family. I had no one to vent to, gossip with, or simply laugh with. I also felt unsafe driving. I had no way to contact someone if I got into an accident, ran out of gas, or needed to be jumped. Now that I have my phone, I realize how much of a blessing it is. I know now not to repeat the same mistakes and receive the same consequences. 

The key instances that I took for granted the most was having a dog, having a car, and having a phone. All of these things have taught me a very important lesson in life: Appreciate the things you have and do not take things for granted. I have to remind myself everyday that I am blessed to have the experiences, things, and opportunities that have occurred in my life because some people do not get to experience these things. Although they are tough to go through sometimes, I value the lesson that they bring.

Photo by Bennilover on Foter.com / CC BY-ND