Gratefulness!

After long years of living in ‘Brat-dom’, today I was ‘ride-less’, and in order to avoid the bustle, I decided to leave home immediately after Fajr prayer. Getting a car at that time was as easy as I thought it would, but then instead of being a passenger, I sat next to this 550lbs endowed lady and ended up being an armrest; the massive bowl she had on her lap and her bad humour got me so uncomfortable.

As if I was a complete novice in ‘real world’ affairs, I started musing towards the condition of people that once had a comfortable amount of luxury and dough, but are today living in penury, and how it feels like being a ‘used-to-have'. For a moment, my morale got messed up.

But as we got to Latrikunda, I saw this elderly man trying to get a ride by jumping on the back of a Leyland truck. He threw his tools in, but the truck started moving before he could fully climb. The stronger guys in the truck took hold of his arms and tried to jerk him up, but then his feet tripped out of place, leaving him dangling over and his toes scraping the road. He eventually made it but I’m sure he’ll be injured.

I thought about the man’s difficult situation, which perhaps is what he goes through on a daily basis and in his attempt to scratch out a living. I cannot but put up with what I thought was a discomfort and be grateful for what I have. I regained comfort in knowing that my condition could've been worse, and that even though I am not well-fixed, I am certain that relatively speaking, that man would kill to be me.

I guess that’s what thankfulness is all about. Not looking at what others have, but looking at what you have that they don't.