A REMINDER***
By Author- Alisha Prien
Today I went to my son’s assembly, and it was the most humbling and joyous of experiences. Spencer goes to a special school where all children who attend have a disability ranging from intellectual to physical. Today I witnessed children who lit up at their name being called, who got excited just to be able to sing a song on stage with their friends, children who clapped and yelled in support of each other, cuddling the teachers as they received their awards. Today I saw people who became happy over the smallest of things, things that a lot of us take for granted.
Spencer received his badge for student counsellor today, and I couldn’t be prouder. I’m not sure if he really knew what was going on, but his smiles were enough to melt a crowd… I had to hold back tears witnessing such innocent and pure happiness surrounding me. Isn’t it crazy how what we would normally find minuscule and often boring others find fascinating and exciting.
Today I was reminded to be grateful. I was reminded of all the amazing things life has given me, things that I often take for granted and forget about when life gets busy. It’s so easy to forget and become complacent. It’s easier to forget when we are constantly programmed to focus on what we don’t have, future goals and exposure to social media which constantly persuades us to be more materialistic . Today when I took a sip of my coffee, I took a moment to taste it, a moment to really enjoy the flavour and remind myself of how lucky I am to be alive and healthy right now whilst enjoying this coffee.
Today, I experienced children who were happy to be alive and thriving. I experienced a young girl speaking for the first time on stage at school assembly, and when she was finished all the students cheered and celebrated for her accomplishment in being able to speak clearly (this student was in grade 12). A lot of the children in my son’s school, including my son are lucky to have days where they are not in hospital, or struggling to walk, struggling to hear and see, some are even lucky to walk onto the school grounds without wanting to run, kick and scream in fear. These are all things a lot of us take for granted and wouldn’t even consider a struggle to encounter in our daily life.
This is a reminder to us all…
Next time you are out, and about to enjoy that cup of coffee or juice, take a minute to breathe it all in, the taste, the warm sun, the trees outside and your health. Remind yourself how lucky you are to be able to sit there and experience all these senses whilst enjoying that cup of coffee or juice…
How lucky we are <3