I have so much to be thankful for. Like the fact that I've got a place to stay; access to food and shelter. I have a car that will take me from A to B, family and friends who support me (I hope) when I'm going through crappy times.
I'm one of the lucky ones because there's always a way out for me.
But there are some people who have found themselves in the same situation as I who live on their own or have had to move back home because they can't afford to pay rent. And God help the people who don't have anywhere they can move back to.
With all the whinging, the kicking and screaming I do because I'm poor and I ran out of money to pay for my petrol this evening, I'm still finding reasons to be thankful because I have NO RIGHT to be upset. I am one of the lucky ones.
I don't want to get too comfortable with this situation though. And I'm not. I wish I could pay my own bills, I wish I could contribute to my groceries and pay for my own toiletries (at the very least). I wish I could pay for the electricity bills and the internet bills (because God knows how much of that I use). But I can't be proud. And it's not like I haven't tried to find a job.
I didn't go sooking to my parents about my bills. They had to force the truth out of me. And I hated them knowing at first, but at some point, I had to stop being proud.
So yeah, I am one of the lucky ones.
There is a whole generation out there - recent grads and young gen Y'ers who lost their jobs to the recent global recession. And I know that right now, it seems so gritty and like we're too young to feel like we have to watch what we do with our money. Right now it might seem that some of us are being exploited by working for free (out of sheer desperation and to keep up with competition). But this shit is just going to make us stronger and better and more appreciative of everything.
Hell yeah I couldn't afford dinner one night at uni, hell yeah I spent that dinner money on printing out my assignment - and I am investing 2.5 days out of my week WORKING and not getting paid for it.
This is going to make me a better person and if you think just because I'm 24 and I still live at my parents' house and I'm not paying for vacations overseas - - all of this makes me pathetic. Don't judge. I KNOW I'm lucky and I'm grateful to the core for it. Just don't judge and realise that I'm making sacrifices too.
I realise there are people that live in actual poverty. I can only speak for myself and people in a similar situation to myself. There are bigger problems happening in the world, I know. I'm just saying.
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