There is nothing like a fresh dose of new American citizens to remind you how fortunate you are and how easy it is to take this country for granted.
On our trip to the “I’m Truly Home Now!” You can add the sense of excitement in their voices and the tears of joy in their eyes, but let’s allow their own comments to speak for themselves:
Kassegn Befekadu, born deaf in Ethiopia, said, “There are no rights there for people like me. I have so many opportunities here. I can get an education; I can drive and work. I love America.”
Narek Bznouni, speaking with the energy of any California teenager, said, “I thank my mother every day, because life is so much better here. I’ve lived here all my life. Now, I finally feel like I belong.”
Roya Dura Mohammad, from Pakistan, confessed, “In Pakistan, after 5 o’clock, you cannot go outside because it is dangerous. In here, 24/7, I go when I want to go. In here, life is, like, way different. Thank you America, for having me here in the United States.”
Miguel Zaragoza, came from the Philippines with his mother and now is a tank mechanic in the U.S. Army. He says with pride, “I miss my family in the Philippines, but I don’t miss the poverty. It’s a pleasure for me to live in such a great place, so, to my fellow citizens, don’t take this for granted.”
For India immigrant Avtar Singh it was one word that said it all, “Freedom.”
Dag was so right! In writing The Optimism Advantage, I realized that optimists should never forget that bad days are only half of the cards we’re dealt; we also are given more than our share of good days. When you face challenging times, is your glass half full or half empty? Have you ever tried admitting that it’s both? Everyone’s life – including your own — has more than its fair share of both bad and good accidents. And while the bad ones get the press, the blessings have a way of passing by unnoticed and unappreciated. Whether you take time to appreciate them or not, your life has plenty of happy accidents.
For starters, you didn’t have to wait and work hard to become citizens. You were born in a country you didn’t choose and to a mother you didn’t get to pick. But if you were born to parents in a developed country, that’s a happy accident that positively impacted your life in more ways than you can count. So if you want to count your blessings today, start with that one!
Join me Thursday, July 22nd, at 11:00 AM on Blog Radio’s Gab With Gurus.
Maybe you can add your thoughts on the importance of gratitude. While you are at it, what would you add that you are grateful for as a citizen in this great country?
I didn’t quite get the point this to begin with. But when I went through it a fourth time, it all started to make sense. Thanks for the idea. Absolutely something to think about.
Thank you for this great blog, even though it did take quite a long time to complete reading. (English is not my first tongue) May I ask where you got your information from? Thanks!
Just got off a radio show talking about the importance of gratitude in producing optimism with Connie Bennett and great group of experts. You can find archives of the Blog Radio show at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/gabwiththegurus. Connie has had a focus on gratitude all week. Join in the discussion.
Wonderful to meet you by phone, Terry, on Connie’s “Gab with the Gurus” radio show. I am grateful that 25 years ago I found my “sat guru,” my true inner teacher, my own true Self, not separate from the divine, through the embodied practice of a yoga practice attuned to sensation and breath. Since then, I have a practice that daily breathes that inner knowing through whatever is arising.
Thanks, Terry, and the new Americans you quote for reminding me of the simple gift of natural citizenship. My then teenaged grandparents, who escaped Tsarist Russia and the pogroms, running across fields of snow in 1913 remembered and were grateful.
Amy- I also enjoyed the show today. There was a great variety of approaches but a lot of common threads. Anyone listening would get some real value that would address their uniqueness. Many have found Yoga an peaceful and affirming path. I’m sure you are a great guide to have on that journey. Thanks for sharing your family’s journey. All of us have ancestors who came from somewhere to make up this great mosaic of a country. Have a blessed week.
Terry, great blog post! I enjoyed participating in Connie’s Gratitude Week with all of you. A deep sense of gratitude has always been the key to my physical, mental and emotional health and the driving force behind my creativity and successes on any level. What a pleasure to connect with like-minded/hearted people
I hope to talk with you again soon,
Nora Firestone
http://www.ThankingOfYou.com
I thought that was extremeley helpful. Thanks for the cool content. I’ll keep an eye on this.