Georgia Skapoulli, Grade 11
UWC Mostar
The outbreak of Covid-19 brought along a huge reality check for all of us- it was an unpleasant reminder that we aren't as inviolable as we think we are, and the people around us can vanish at any moment. The rapid improvement of technology in many fields, especially in medicine, has created this delusional belief in the human mind that we're invincible. However, this pandemic has proved us wrong, with humanity struggling to get it under control and many lives being lost daily because of it. This growing fear for losing someone precious has made us more grateful for the people we hold dear to us, and become more cautious in treasuring and making the best out of the time we have with these people. These people don't have to necessarily be family; they might be our friends, classmates or someone completely random, who our everyday life just wouldn't be the same without.
I'm also guilty of not appreciating certain people enough before the pandemic. The news reporting all these global deaths daily and hearing of others' friends and family fighting for their lives because of this virus made the ugly truth dawn upon me that we all have a timer ticking unstoppably, threatening to go off any moment. This got me thinking about which people I should keep in my life and be grateful for. I have a wonderful family who is always supportive of me, and they would never hesitate to go out of their way if I ever need their help. Of course, these are the people who I will always be grateful for and try my best to return the favour whenever they need any sort of support. They are the ones who shaped me into the person I am today- growing up, I made mistakes, like every other person, but my family was there to help me learn from them. Apart from giving me one of the best childhoods, they taught me most of the values I have today and prepared me as best as possible for any of the hardships I might have to face when I'm not inside the safety bubble of my home anymore. Even after living alone, away from my family, they are still there for me whenever I need them, being my comfort when I'm feeling down and the one place I can always return back to if anything ever goes wrong, offering me the reassurance I need to keep taking bold steps in life. All these reasons are why I'm more than thankful for my family and their unconditional love.
Another group of people that we should all be more than grateful for are genuine friends. The ones who call or text randomly to check on you, the ones who you can open to without any fear of getting judged but also the ones who aren't scared of being honest with you for your own good. I'm beyond thankful for my closest friends- I know I can call them whenever I need anything; that could be support, advice or just some company. They know exactly how to lift up my spirit whenever I'm in a bad mood, but they also know what it means to have a fun time. I can count on them to have a great time whenever we hang out-, even if we just go out for a walk, they still manage to make me laugh my heart out and enjoy every second with them. They're the people to who I can show all aspects of my personality. They would never judge or leave me because of it since we've all seen each other's flaws, and it's perfectly normal because, as we all know very well, no one is perfect. Indeed, it's important to see each other's flaws and accept them in every healthy friendship. Otherwise, you're just not being real with others, and that's called having a shallow friendship. However, what's really interesting is that I feel like some of my newest friendships are just as strong as my older friendships, even though I haven't known those people for as long. Once you match with a person and you both open up to each other, it feels like you've known them for years.
Then there are the people who don't come up to mind immediately when you think of someone you're grateful for. However, in specific situations, you get reminded of how thankful you are for them. These people, for me, are my peers, with who I'm not necessarily friends, but when a difficult situation arises, there's a mutual understanding, and we do our best to help each other. For example, I have a few classmates who I might go on for days without talking to them, but if they ever need any help with studying or just any help in general, then I'm more than happy to help them, and they would do the same for me too. There were already many times when I had to take an absence from school because I was too ill, and my classmates would help me catch up on whatever I missed and check up on how I was doing. Times like that were when I was reminded how thankful I am to have this kind of people around me, even if we're not that close together.
It's important to take a few minutes every now and then to just think about all the people we're grateful for and then ensure that we don't only take from them but also return the favour. Otherwise, it might be too late once we realize who was always there for us. Some of us might have fewer people who are there for us than others, but that is totally fine- as long as you have someone to lean on during difficult times, then you're good as no one deserves to be alone. It's always much better to go through the ups and downs of life with some good company.
I'm also guilty of not appreciating certain people enough before the pandemic. The news reporting all these global deaths daily and hearing of others' friends and family fighting for their lives because of this virus made the ugly truth dawn upon me that we all have a timer ticking unstoppably, threatening to go off any moment. This got me thinking about which people I should keep in my life and be grateful for. I have a wonderful family who is always supportive of me, and they would never hesitate to go out of their way if I ever need their help. Of course, these are the people who I will always be grateful for and try my best to return the favour whenever they need any sort of support. They are the ones who shaped me into the person I am today- growing up, I made mistakes, like every other person, but my family was there to help me learn from them. Apart from giving me one of the best childhoods, they taught me most of the values I have today and prepared me as best as possible for any of the hardships I might have to face when I'm not inside the safety bubble of my home anymore. Even after living alone, away from my family, they are still there for me whenever I need them, being my comfort when I'm feeling down and the one place I can always return back to if anything ever goes wrong, offering me the reassurance I need to keep taking bold steps in life. All these reasons are why I'm more than thankful for my family and their unconditional love.
Another group of people that we should all be more than grateful for are genuine friends. The ones who call or text randomly to check on you, the ones who you can open to without any fear of getting judged but also the ones who aren't scared of being honest with you for your own good. I'm beyond thankful for my closest friends- I know I can call them whenever I need anything; that could be support, advice or just some company. They know exactly how to lift up my spirit whenever I'm in a bad mood, but they also know what it means to have a fun time. I can count on them to have a great time whenever we hang out-, even if we just go out for a walk, they still manage to make me laugh my heart out and enjoy every second with them. They're the people to who I can show all aspects of my personality. They would never judge or leave me because of it since we've all seen each other's flaws, and it's perfectly normal because, as we all know very well, no one is perfect. Indeed, it's important to see each other's flaws and accept them in every healthy friendship. Otherwise, you're just not being real with others, and that's called having a shallow friendship. However, what's really interesting is that I feel like some of my newest friendships are just as strong as my older friendships, even though I haven't known those people for as long. Once you match with a person and you both open up to each other, it feels like you've known them for years.
Then there are the people who don't come up to mind immediately when you think of someone you're grateful for. However, in specific situations, you get reminded of how thankful you are for them. These people, for me, are my peers, with who I'm not necessarily friends, but when a difficult situation arises, there's a mutual understanding, and we do our best to help each other. For example, I have a few classmates who I might go on for days without talking to them, but if they ever need any help with studying or just any help in general, then I'm more than happy to help them, and they would do the same for me too. There were already many times when I had to take an absence from school because I was too ill, and my classmates would help me catch up on whatever I missed and check up on how I was doing. Times like that were when I was reminded how thankful I am to have this kind of people around me, even if we're not that close together.
It's important to take a few minutes every now and then to just think about all the people we're grateful for and then ensure that we don't only take from them but also return the favour. Otherwise, it might be too late once we realize who was always there for us. Some of us might have fewer people who are there for us than others, but that is totally fine- as long as you have someone to lean on during difficult times, then you're good as no one deserves to be alone. It's always much better to go through the ups and downs of life with some good company.
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