*Side note: I typed this up as a Facebook status last Thursday. Since it was lengthy as a status, I thought it would be best to share and expand it as a blog post instead.
There are so many thoughts going through my head post-inauguration. Despite the dark and challenging ones, I keep coming back to one word: gratitude.
I am grateful for a loving family. Two strong schoolteachers, married for over 25 years, constantly proving that hard work and compassion are two qualities you need to make a difference in this world.
I am grateful for honest, hard-working friends, co-workers, and fellows. From my high school band and swim friends, to my CMU friends in Greek Life, the Business Residential College, and the Volunteer Center, all the way to my fellows in Challenge Detroit, I cherish and treasure them all. While I may not communicate with some as much as I would like, I remember learning and growing together, through triumphs and challenges.
I am grateful to have a roof over my head, food on my table, and clothes on my back. I force myself daily to remember my privilege and power in society as an educated middle-class white male. While I realize I should have done more in the past to stand up against discrimination and inequality on multiple fronts, I feel prepared and ready to take steps to do so in 2017 and beyond.
No matter what you want, remember to be grateful for what you have. Remember that despite your challenges, someone is accomplishing something greater with less resources. Gratitude is the beginning of taking stock of all life has afforded, and moving forward to help others get what they want and need out of this life.
Perhaps one of the greatest lessons of gratitude is realizing the desire for more, for something greater, can just be a byproduct of a capitalist society. What do you actually need, on a daily basis, to survive as a human in your environment? What do you want in the future? Is what you want in line with your values, your community, and is it the best use of your time and skills? These are the difficult questions we should be asking ourselves in 2017.
You cannot want or achieve more, or help anyone else want or achieve more, without first being grateful for what you have and where you’re at in life. I spent much of 2016 riding a roller coaster of depression. It’s not something I often talk about, and not something I did a good job at addressing and treating. However, I know I can’t sweep it under the rug any longer. I believe the first part of rising out of depression is gratitude. Seeing how all the gifts one is blessed with will contribute to a better society for all, especially helping those that society has dealt an unfair hand.
Am I worried about the future? You better believe it. Will I get anywhere without recognizing what is good and only focusing on the challenges? Absolutely not.
Detroit taught me about community, about what it means to band together against all odds and make progress, day by day. For that lesson and so many others, I will continue to be forever grateful.