taken for granted

did you ever realize how much we take for granted?
did you ever think about how incredibly fortunate we are?
i don't know most of the people who read this, i don't know your specific life circumstances, but the fact that you're reading this shows how incredibly lucky you are- you can read, and you have a computer. did you know that only 1% of the world's population owns a computer?
i have so much. a home, a family, a great school, great friends, food, a computer, a blog, a religion, a culture. you know, i was just thinking the other day about how many people suffered to get me where i am now. people DIED for my religion, for my culture. i don't know if you all can say that, but i can. people gave up their lives for my religion. and sometimes i take it for granted. it's always been there, so i tend to not take it too seriously at times. i don't always realize how much has been given up for it.
and then there's my friends. friends are fickle things sometimes. a few years ago, i had a best friend, we were inseparable . and i assumed that that was the way it would always be. except... one day, for various reasons, she decided not to be friends with me. at the time, it really, really hurt. and it scared me, because i had taken for granted that she was there for me. i never even took the time to thank her for all she had done for me, and i guess she got sick of it.
family. my family is one of my greatest gifts. i take that for granted all the time. but think about it- there are many people out there who don't have a family at all. they are alone. i had never even thought about that until i had a dream recently. I'm not going to go into detail, because it was incredibly disturbing, but I'll say this much: i woke up crying. literally. and i try not to take my parents for granted anymore.
everybody, look around you! realize what a beautiful world, what a beautiful life you have been given. realize how much you have, how you are so rich, in so many ways! and take the time to stop for a second, and thank those who helped make your life what it is, who helped make you who you are.
because life is a gift. embrace it, cherish it, love it, and don't take it for granted.