Nitemice

So, Australia Day was this week. The day my beloved country celebrates its colonial roots, and the indigenous people it took this land from. Well, some people do. A lot of others just sit around, boozing up and listening to Triple J’s Hottest 100. But more than anything, it is a perfect day to reflect on what makes Australia such a great place.

As I lay about, out in the sun’s beautiful rays that afternoon, I thought about how nice it was there in the backyard. How beautiful it was outside, in the midday’s peace and quiet, with only the sounds of nature to distract me. And I thought about how lucky I was to be in a place like this, so wonderful and contenting in such a simple way. This made me think about all the other things that I’m thankful for, all those material things, which are so overt and fulfilling in a much more complex way. On top of that, I considered all the intangible things that I had around me, some of which I was well aware of, like the love of my family, and others I usually thought about much less, like my freedoms and the culture I lived in. All of these things together make up the splendour of living in Australia, and other places like it around the world (but Australia’s better 😛 ).

Having only been to India last month, and seeing the poverty and lack of possessions held by many people there , it really made clear to me how much I have. I an so privileged to have so much stuff, and if you’re reading this then undoubtedly, so are you. But I’m also really blessed to be living somewhere that has so much. Like most people, even though I have so much, there is still always other stuff I want. But this is one of the beauties of Australia compared to India. While people here already have stuff and want more, people there hardly have anything, yet can’t really want any more. They are living in a situation that doesn’t accommodate for their needs, let alone their wants.

I guess the point I’m trying to make is that, despite all the good fortune we have, and all the possessions we are in constant want of, we should take the time to appreciate the more simple things that make our lives so pleasant and wonderful. The things that people that don’t have all this stuff that we do still appreciate. We need to realise that it’s not just stuff that we should be appreciative of, but even our general situation. Everything about our lives is a blessing, to savour and be thankful of every day.

Anyway, that’s how I feel. What do you think? What are you thankful for? Tell me in comments, or there’s always the “Contact Me!” page…

Post again soon,