Every time you look outside and see blue sky say give thanks. The sky here is always varying shades of grade, I haven't seen real blue sky since I left the states.
The next time you put jeans on consider yourself lucky, jeans are sign of wealth here.
Every time you use the bathroom be thankful that it's not a squatter and that it doesn't faithfully explode on you either. Western toilets are basically only for handicapped people unless it's in a hostel or hotel. Be grateful for toilet paper as well...that's something that you need to provide for yourself here and if you don't have any on hand...well sucks for you.
The next time you squish a small spider be thankful it's not a large cockroach.
Every time you step outside and see stars say a prayer of extreme gratitude for I've only stars here once, just a small patch through the pollution.
The next you feel you're having a hard time communicating with someone be thankful you can even speak the same language. It makes it all a lot easier.
Every time you turn on the water whether for a shower to wash dishes be thankful for hot water, hot water is a luxury, I've had three hot showers in 3 months, until I finally got lucky and got hot showers for a few weeks in a row.
Every day that you wake up on your luxurious mattress say a prayer of thanks, we sleep on box springs or wooden slats covered in blankets, this country doesn't believe in soft mattresses. Actually be thankful you have a place to sleep and that you're not a taxi driver who sleeps in his rickshaw or on the street each night.
The next time you use an oven to bake give a prayer of gratitude, no one here has an oven, only bakeries and resturaunts have ovens, they're an extreme luxury.
Every day that you look in the mirror and brush your teeth give thanks that you have all your real teeth and that none of them are rotting. Clean white teeth are an incredible luxury that most people aren't able to pay for. Be grateful for a mirror to look in, I probably look in one twice a day, they're not as common in China.
The next time you turn on the air conditioning or heater be thankful for central air and heat, I'm not sure if there's such a thing in China, there isn't such a thing in people's homes and to have the small air conditionings that we have in each room is a luxury that most people don't enjoy.
Every night before you go to bed be thankful you don't have to lather yourself in mosquito repellent to keep yourself from being eaten alive.
The next time you inhale the nasty smell of cigarette smoke be thankful for laws the keep people from smoking on a bus, train, or in a store, elevator, etc. Clean air is an incredible luxury that you don't really appreciate until you live in a country where everyone smokes.
Any time you eat cheese, chocolate, milk or butter savor every bite, cheese, butter and normal milk pretty much don't exist in China (at least not in easy access) and chocolate is not as common as it should be.
The next time you walk on carpet enjoy every moment, carpet doesn't exist in China. Pretty sure.
The next time you go to church say a prayer of gratitude the entire time that you can freely worship and freely speak of your religion. That is an incredibly valuable freedom that not everyone in the world can enjoy.
Take a moment to consider all the luxuries you have in your life and realize you are filthy rich and not just with material objects, but in so many other ways.
--
Living in China for a semester has changed my life and my perspective on life. I realize now (at least to a degree) how richly blessed I really am, I live like royalty in the states and I never even knew it. I hope that I'll never forget how lucky and how rich I am.
The next time you put jeans on consider yourself lucky, jeans are sign of wealth here.
Every time you use the bathroom be thankful that it's not a squatter and that it doesn't faithfully explode on you either. Western toilets are basically only for handicapped people unless it's in a hostel or hotel. Be grateful for toilet paper as well...that's something that you need to provide for yourself here and if you don't have any on hand...well sucks for you.
The next time you squish a small spider be thankful it's not a large cockroach.
Every time you step outside and see stars say a prayer of extreme gratitude for I've only stars here once, just a small patch through the pollution.
The next you feel you're having a hard time communicating with someone be thankful you can even speak the same language. It makes it all a lot easier.
Every time you turn on the water whether for a shower to wash dishes be thankful for hot water, hot water is a luxury, I've had three hot showers in 3 months, until I finally got lucky and got hot showers for a few weeks in a row.
Every day that you wake up on your luxurious mattress say a prayer of thanks, we sleep on box springs or wooden slats covered in blankets, this country doesn't believe in soft mattresses. Actually be thankful you have a place to sleep and that you're not a taxi driver who sleeps in his rickshaw or on the street each night.
The next time you use an oven to bake give a prayer of gratitude, no one here has an oven, only bakeries and resturaunts have ovens, they're an extreme luxury.
Every day that you look in the mirror and brush your teeth give thanks that you have all your real teeth and that none of them are rotting. Clean white teeth are an incredible luxury that most people aren't able to pay for. Be grateful for a mirror to look in, I probably look in one twice a day, they're not as common in China.
The next time you turn on the air conditioning or heater be thankful for central air and heat, I'm not sure if there's such a thing in China, there isn't such a thing in people's homes and to have the small air conditionings that we have in each room is a luxury that most people don't enjoy.
Every night before you go to bed be thankful you don't have to lather yourself in mosquito repellent to keep yourself from being eaten alive.
The next time you inhale the nasty smell of cigarette smoke be thankful for laws the keep people from smoking on a bus, train, or in a store, elevator, etc. Clean air is an incredible luxury that you don't really appreciate until you live in a country where everyone smokes.
Any time you eat cheese, chocolate, milk or butter savor every bite, cheese, butter and normal milk pretty much don't exist in China (at least not in easy access) and chocolate is not as common as it should be.
The next time you walk on carpet enjoy every moment, carpet doesn't exist in China. Pretty sure.
The next time you go to church say a prayer of gratitude the entire time that you can freely worship and freely speak of your religion. That is an incredibly valuable freedom that not everyone in the world can enjoy.
Take a moment to consider all the luxuries you have in your life and realize you are filthy rich and not just with material objects, but in so many other ways.
--
Living in China for a semester has changed my life and my perspective on life. I realize now (at least to a degree) how richly blessed I really am, I live like royalty in the states and I never even knew it. I hope that I'll never forget how lucky and how rich I am.
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