Gratitude, In The Midst of it All

3.01.2021

Have you ever wanted something so badly and when you finally get it, it’s nothing like you imagined? Maybe you’d been dying to try that new restaurant, but when you finally got the chance to try it, the food ends up being horrible! Or maybe that new movie whose trailer had you sitting at the edge of your couch was nothing like you thought it would be after having seen it in theaters. I absolutely hate when things like this happen.

Unfortunately, this is exactly how disappointed I was at last week’s snowstorm.

As you may know, I am from Houston, Texas, and it rarely snows here.

As a kid, I always wished for a chance to play in the snow. As a musician, my daddy traveled all over the world. Whenever he experienced it, he would always share stories with us about how beautiful the snow was and how much fun he and the band would have playing in it. From that point, I promised myself that, when I grew up, I’d take a plane to New York, just so I could play in the snow.

The older I got, however, my desired slowly changed. As a result of my bone disorder, I experience chronic pain, so cold weather and I don’t really mix. When I learned of the freeze that was to take place last week, I had mixed emotions.

A part of me thought, “oh, my body CANNOT handle such low temperatures”, but the kid in me was filled with excitement at the possibility of finally getting my snow day.

The night before the freeze, my body was already beginning to feel the effects. Every one of my joints were throbbing, but because everybody around me was patiently awaiting the snow, I chose not to complain.

The next morning, I woke up to a freezing cold bedroom. It’s always pretty cold in my room, so I did not think much of it. Soon I realized the cold temperature was due to a power outage. To top it off, we had no water.

Honestly, it wasn’t bad at first, but the longer we sat, the colder it grew. My mom kept reassuring my that the power would be restored soon. In that moment, soon felt like an eternity. I was so cold that my joints were burning.

I could hear my neighbors and their kids happily playing in the snow. I thought, if outside feels anything like it feels in this house, I won’t be seeing any snow today.

My mom and I tried to snuggle to stay as warm as we could, as we waited for our electricity to be restored. After about six hours without power, we decided to pack a bag and head over to my grandparetns’ house. The only problem? My mom couldn’t drive in the snow! Thankfully, my uncle who’s a truck driver, was able to rescue us!

When I opened the front door to our house, there was ice everywhere and the wind immediately slapped me in the face. When we reached my uncle’s truck, I felt like my hands were going to fall off. That’s how badly they hurt. Needless to say, I was so grateful for the warmth of my grandparents’ home once we arrived.

Once settled, I logged into social media and was in disbelief at the number of people without power.

This experience is one I will never forget. It ended up being nothing like I imagined. And honestly, if I never see snow again, I’d be ok.

What was supposed to be a fun “snow day” ended up being a miserable “snow week”. However, this experience taught me a couple things.

I was reminded never to take for granted all that we have. In a blink of an eye, everyone went from being excited about the snow day to simply wondering how they were going to flush their toilets or take care of personal hygiene.

Although we had to leave our home, we still had a warm place to go. I think there are still people without power and water today. For us, this situation was only temporary, but for many, this is the way they live on a daily basis.

It is so easy to get comfortable in our day-to-day, that we forget how truly blessed we are. Not only do we sometimes take things for granted, but people. We often get wrapped up in our own busy schedules that we eventually look up and realize that it’s been weeks since we’ve talked to our loved ones. You never know what a person is going through, and a simple text or call could really brighten their day.

I challenge each of us to try a little harder to reach out to our loved ones, especially the elders. I can’t express how thankful I am for my grandparents, especially last week. Remember, life is short, you could be here one day, and gone the next. Find some time to express gratitude for where you are, what you have, and for those around you.