Never Take Anything for Granted

I have really enjoyed reading all of the stories out of the Humanities Based Text. I guess the main things I have learned is first, that I am very fortunate to have the life that I do, and secondly, that I have been lucky enough to take part in receiving the great education that I have been given the opportunity to have.
After reading “Savage Inequalities,” I felt fortunate, but also spoiled in the life I am living. Everyone who attends this University is way more fortunate than any of the people who currently live in the area of East St. Louis. I cannot imagine how the people of that area live day in and day out without going insane. I would hate to be a young child brought up in a broken family in such horrible conditions. Another think I realized after reading the story is how much I take for granted. Most of the children who live in East St. Louis grow up with only one parent raising them, and most of the time it is a mother. I could not have the life that I do without my father. I know that my mother would not be able to provide as much as my dad has and I would hate to live any other life than the one I am living. Also, I have taken having a father figure in my life for granted. My dad was so healthy aside from his Epilepsy and Scleroderma until the week before my high school graduation when he had two heart attacks. I was shocked and scared that I could possibly lose my dad any day. Also, just over Christmas break he was diagnosed with Vascular Disease, and could not walk for two months because of the pain. It is so scary thinking that one morning he could be gone. I realized that I need to get up in the morning and thank God for everything that I have been given because I could be living on the street one day, or wake up one morning and not have a father.
The second thing that I have learned, aside from taking things for granted is that I need to take advantage of the educational opportunities that I have been offered and given. My parents pay for my education, and I work very hard in return for the hard work my dad does to pay for my education. At times I know I could put in more effort and work just a little harder, but I choose not to. I find myself sometimes, rarely, getting caught up in things that do not matter, things mostly dealing with my social life or relationships outside of my family.
I have found a new meaning for the relationships that I have with my family, in particular my parents and that I need to value my education and take the opportunity to experience new things. I am almost embarrassed to say that it took reading these stories for me to realize how much I have been given in my life when all it should have taken is a little heart and my own thinking.