I don’t know how to explain it. It’s not something that just naturally rolls off the tongue. You can’t explain it in any simple sentence. It’s not something that words can define. I just don’t know.
But, sometimes, when I go to bed at night, I just think to myself how wonderful my life really is. I think about all the grateful things that people have done for me. Everything that my parents give back to me. All that my friends provide. And all that my community does for little old me. And I think to myself, “man, I have it good.”
I really do have it good. And usually when I’m alone at night, I just think to myself: “I love my life”. In a giddy boyish voice. I simply love it. I simply cherish it. I won’t take it for granted. It means everything and anything to me. And I appreciate all the wonderful people that have come before on this Earth that have touched my heart and soul. Every family member to every stranger.
Every one of them has left an imprint. Has made an impact. Has left me a little bit stronger. A little bit wiser. A little bit more human than before. And that’s all I can ask. That’s all a little boy from New York City can ever ask for.
I’m not a giant. I’m not a superstar. I’m not a superhero. I just enjoy my life because it is simply made for enjoyment. The little things I appreciate. From my girlfriend’s hug. Kind advice I get from my family members. My friends wishing me well. And my own self being able to process information and perform actions unseen before. It’s all a wish upon a star. And it’s truly amazing.
It makes me feel like my life is worth living. And that I have it great from start to finish. It’s an amazement to behold.
Now, this doesn’t mean that I’m skipping off the walls when I’m walking down the street. It doesn’t mean that I am feeling “well” and “good” all the time. It doesn’t mean that I don’t know what it feels like to process grief, suffering, and tragedy. I’ve been through those hard times as well. And it’s not easy for someone to proclaim that “I love my life” when you are going through those times.
I just feel that at this stage of my life, it’s all about gratitude. All about accepting everything that life throws your way and coming out a little bit better and stronger for it. I remember back when I was at Cornell, I’d be struggling academically all the time. Those engineering concepts really boggled my mind, and I graduated that school with a gaping hole in my self-confidence.
As a result, my social skills suffered and I began feeling inadequate socializing among group of friends. Friends that had no ill will nor ill intentions towards little old me. Yet for some reason, I still felt inadequate. But, I made it a case to push through those inadequacies. To go through those social interactions with a full heart and an open mind. And I think I came out a little bit better than before because of it.
Back then, I had trouble appreciating all there is to offer in this life. I was too preoccupied with my vulnerabilities, my shortcomings, and my fear of the unknown. However, this wasn’t to say that I lived a bad life. Even back then, I had it good. I had it real good.
I had a roof over my head. I was not homeless. I had two loving parents. I had wonderful friends. I had the little things that many kids could only dream about. I had and still have a lot of things that I should cherish and behold.
So, life was good back then. And life still is good right now. And hopefully, with the right perspective, we can keep the good times rolling. Even with COVID ravaging the USA these days, it’s still good to be grateful for the little things that we still have in life. And we have a lot. It’s not rocket science. It’s not something that you need a graduate degree to be aware of.
Everyone can practice gratitude. Can practice a little bit of hearty appreciation for the mundane. Can practice a can-do attitude and simply believe in the impossible. It’s not really that complicated.
So, when I say I ‘love my life’, I love every aspect of it - even the distressing parts. The infuriating parts. The negative parts. The parts where there is a little bit of suffering involved. I love it all because it makes my life that much more fulfilling. How can we be human beings without a little bit of pain and discomfort? Stuff like that makes us realize that we are breaking through our comfort zones and expanding a little bit more.
And isn’t that what everyone wants to do? To expand? To live a little bit more? To grow and develop?
So, I think that if we all foster a little bit of contentment. A little bit of appreciation. A little bit of gratitude for all that we have, we can similarly feel that sense of love and peace within us all. Love for the big. Love for the small. Love for the boring. Love for the exciting. Love for the days that shape us and make us who we are as human beings.
That’s life. And, if we look closely, it can be filled with love and gratitude.