EDITORIAL: Look at the Blessings, Not the Problems
April 21, 2020
Look around, look at what you are surrounded by? Do you have a roof over your head? Do you have a bed with blankets and pillows, and a fridge with food in it? Do you have a warm place to shelter you from not only the rain and cold, but from the coronavirus as well?
If you answered yes to any, if not all of those questions, I think that it’s important to count your blessings. There are so many people out there who simply do not have the same privileges or condition of living. So before we all complain about being stuck in our houses, forced to social distance and advised that it’s better to just stay home, I think that we should appreciate the conditions we are being quarantined in.
I think that in this time of uncertainty, we must hold on to what we know is true. And one truth that many of us are blessed enough to relate to is that we are very fortunate. Corona has taken away so much. It has taken away sports, and school, it’s taken away memories seniors, myself included, will never be able to get back. In moments of despair and sadness is when true colors show. I believe all of us, the community of Leominster is full of good people, so we shouldn’t let this break us to the point of negativity, but rather have it open our eyes to our blessings.
Earlier today, my friend Trevor and I were discussing how it’s so heartbreaking that there are homeless people, at all, but especially during this time. It created a whole new perspective in my mind. It made me reevaluate what were real problems in my life. It made being stuck inside my home where I am fed, I can sleep, bathe, and just live comfortably feel like so much less of a “problem” than what I was making it out to be prior to this outlook. Trevor and I even started to brainstorm some ways to help these people who aren’t in such fortunate conditions, thinking about food drop offs, or safe deliveries of blankets or toiletries.
In other words, I strongly believe that we are all in this together, and it is important to always take the positive outlook on all situations. It is so easy to get caught up in the negative of it all, but to keep sanity and to nurture your heart, I personally believe it’s imperative to count your blessings.
I hope everyone is staying safe. We will recover from this, together.
Sharon Antocci • Apr 27, 2020 at 12:02 pm
I like that you are choosing to count your blessings Olivia! I count my blessings no matter how small. Unfortunately, there is usually someone less fortunate than ourselves. Now that the restrictions in place have slowed us down some, it is a good time to enjoy and appreciate the blessings that we may have right under our own roofs.
Thankfully because of assistance from taxes paid and private donations made, some of our world’s less fortunate are better off than they would otherwise be, but there is still much room for improvement.
If someone asks how we are doing and we responded, “We are blessed!”, they may look puzzled at first, think about what we said, and realize they are blessed too. Maybe we would even help start a more positive movement out there, but by all mean, if you are someone who is having a difficult time focusing on something positive for good reason, please talk to a parent, educational staff member, or health professional about it. There is much help out there for people!
I hope you all have the best day possible! Take care now.