The ability to fly most anywhere on the globe for less than a month’s rent in a big city.
The ability to carry a piece of plastic that works like money around the world, for an emergency or just to have fun.
The ability to get by with English almost anywhere that tourists gather.
The ability to leave our country whenever we want, without inviting jail time or even scrutiny.
The ability to criticize our government and vote the bums out when they do nothing but collect a check and enrich their friends.
The ability to get a good education, to do what we want with our lives, and make choices about our destiny.
It’s easy to take a lot of things for granted. The more you travel, the less you take for granted. A friend once looked at me funny when I said I woke up every morning thankful that I had been born in the United States. He didn’t have much to compare it to. But I think about what it would be like to live in, say, bumfuck rural India or some fundamentalist slum in Cairo. Take a few minutes to think about how different your life would be if your soul hadn’t landed in the womb it did.
Sure, there’s always something to complain about and there’s never enough money in the bank for most of us. But really, we’ve got it pretty good.
If you want to make a small difference, tune in next week for the kickoff of the annual Passports with Purpose drive. But today all I’m asking is a few quiet moments to realize how lucky we are.
Happy Thanksgiving!
