UNITED STATES—We sometimes get a bit too caught up in our own feelings and our own world to realize there is so much plight out there that we haven’t taken a second to think of. We might think our lives are bad, but it is nothing compared to what some others out there are enduring on a day to day basis. These emotions and thoughts really started to bubble up in the midst of the Thanksgiving holiday.

When you hear and see stories about children struggling with disabilities, but keeping a smile on their face and pushing thru to overcome surmountable obstacles, you cannot help, but think that your minor problems really do not matter. Then you hear stories about families struggling to place food on the table and how many are just doing all in their power to get buy, and it hits you once again: what am I complaining about.

Yes, we hear such stories about struggles of food and basic necessities each year, and it forces one to think a bit more about their circumstances and being appreciative of the fact that they do NOT have to endure such stress. Yes, stress, imagine having to worry about putting food on the table. Deciding rather to pay the light bill or the putting gas in the car to go to work; these are just some of the decisions some people have to face. However, with 2020, it’s much worse because the pandemic has left so many people out of work and the fight to survive has been harder this year than ever before.

It really has opened my eyes just a bit more to be a bit more gracious and generous in my thought processing. Stop complaining about irrelevant and silly stuff. It is indeed nothing compared to what some people are managing in their daily lives. I mean I’m lucky to have not one, but two jobs. There are people out there who don’t have a job at all America. They lost that job and they might not get it back and they’ve been actively fighting to find one.

This year has taught me more than anything to be more open to the plight of others and to give more than I normally do. I’m a giver by heart, I have always been told that by family and friends. Even if it’s my last I’m the guy who will give it to a person if they are in desperate need of it, even if it places me in a financial bind or adds stress to my life that perhaps I don’t need.

I’ve come to grips that stress is always going to be in my life I just have to find new ways to manage it so I control it and it doesn’t control me. With all this said, I’ve been actively seeking out charities that I can donate to because I want to do more knowing that I am capable of doing more. It might NOT be excessive, but I always look at a little bit here and there is better than nothing at all America. I cannot explain it with words, but I always feel this higher power telling me you were placed on this Earth to do something specific, and I’m always feel that need to help others is the top priority. I have yet to find that job that really highlights that goal that I want to achieve.

I’m not a celebrity, I don’t have millions in the bank, but I have something I can do to help others who might not be in the best predicament, but at the same time I can acknowledge my life is not as bad as it is as some who are dealing with unbelievable odds, things that you can never imagine. Before you complain take a moment and look at your life, it could be a lot worse than you think.