I woke up this morning with the same overwhelming feeling of gratitude I have been feeling all week. And that’s not only because I have been alive this long, but because I have only now fathomed what a privileged life I have lived thus far. 20 years on this planet and I have never gone to bed on an empty stomach. I have always had a roof over my head, clothes on my back and shoes on my feet. I have always been able to talk, hear, see, and walk. I have even had the privilege of getting an education. I have always… I have always had everything I needed. And so each day of this week, I have been waking up realizing how often I take all these seemingly small things for granted as though I were entitled to them, as though I merit them, as though mine is a cup that God must always keep full. But I realize now that nothing about me makes me better than the next man that I may receive everything I have gotten thus far. I realize now that I no more merit any blessings than the next man does. It’s all grace, of which I am clearly undeserving, but I am eternally grateful for it. Life has never been perfect. In fact, it has been anything but. But life has been good. Life has been so good to me. God has been inexplicably good to me. And if you can afford the privilege of reading this, it means that you might be as blessed as I am, that God has been just as good to you. Perhaps we must then learn to be more grateful for all this as opposed to all the complaining we do. None of that is to say that we are not allowed to have problems; quite the contrary. We do have problems, you and I. And the fact that there are people less privileged than we are does not undermine the severity of those problems to us. Our problems are just as valid. But it is imperative to remember that these being the only problems we have right now, that in itself is a privilege, it’s a blessing. Life is not perfect. But it is good. And it could definitely be worse. We are all so blessed, but we often overlook that fact because we want more. And while there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting more or better for yourself, none of it will ever be enough if we do not learn to cultivate a spirit of gratitude right now, in the very position we are in. Without gratitude, we would be none the wiser, no more satisfied and no more content with our circumstances than we are today were a million dollars perching on our doorstep. So we must teach ourselves to be grateful now. I decided that as gift to myself, I will make the decision to consciously be grateful for every single thing that comes my way, big or small, to lead a live of conscious gratitude. And that’s my gift to you as well: a reminder that when we look close enough, there is always something we should be grateful for. Lead a life of gratitude. Thank you all for being part of the journey thus far. Happy Munyama day.