Thanksgiving 2020

Even in trying times like 2020, there's something to be grateful for. While I've felt from a young age that the idea of having a day of thanks, namely Thanksgiving, withdraws from the fundamental value of practicing gratitude every day, in challenging times I believe that highlighting the things we appreciate becomes even more important. 2020 has changed the ways of life in both temporary and permanent manners for everyone and I think it's important for me to sit back and reflect on things I appreciate.

I'm grateful that I have a roof over my head and that generally speaking, my family is in good health. 

I'm grateful for the people who risk their lives going to work every day so that the risk they bear may benefit the community. 

I'm grateful for the front line workers in hospitals and medical facilities. I understand that many of these medical workers, nurses, and doctors entered the field with the noble life mission to save others' lives. And COVID has utterly defied what they believed was possible to do. I cannot imagine the stress that also comes with being in that position of making the tough phone call to family members. Thank you to these first-line responders. 

I'm grateful for my teachers and friends for their support this time when it's challenging to be a student. To my advisor in particular, who's been there for me every week and who's created a warm, inviting community amongst his advisees where we can laugh, have fun, and have deep conversations about our troubles.

I'm grateful to my parents as always. I've spent more time with them in the last eight-ish months than I have in the past three years because I've been learning remotely instead of boarding. I'm so grateful for our dinners every night, our walks around the neighborhood at night, and their support in my journey through college applications. 

Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, wrote a powerful article in the New York Times yesterday called "The Losses We Share." The last sentence in her article resonated with me: "Are we OK? We will be." Perhaps this is a reminder of how we must approach not just the remainder of this year, but how we must persevere through a global recovery that could last years. But we will be OK. And I'm grateful for that light at the end of the tunnel. 

Happy Thanksgiving