A Gift That Is Not For Everyone
- by XpatAthens
- Friday, 28 January 2022
A gift is usually something we offer to another person not because they asked for it but because we wanted to. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a gift is the act, right, or power of giving. It’s something we voluntarily give to another person without expecting a return.
This past week we’ve had extreme weather conditions including way too much snow in Athens. “What a gift this was,” said a friend of mine. “We were given a 3-day gift.” This got me thinking. We couldn’t drive anywhere, had to stay inside, schools were closed, kids had a blast playing with the snow – something they rarely see in Athens. Yes, it was definitely a wonderful, fun gift for some. For those of us who were healthy and didn’t need to get to the doctor or worse yet to the hospital. For those of us who had a roof over our heads and didn’t need to look for shelter. For those of us who had heat, electricity, and water. For those of us who had food on our plates. For those of us who had our loved ones nearby. Yes, for all of us it was an amazing gift!
But how about the others? How about the people whose houses were left without electricity or heat for long hours even days? How about the elderly or sick who live alone and had no help? How about those motorists who were stranded in the snow for more than 8 hours on the Athens’ ring road? I bet these people will not have fond memories of the extreme weather conditions. And I bet it’ll be hard for them to consider snow as a gift. Quite the opposite.
So while enjoying our gifts, whatever they may be for each one of us, let’s keep a few things in mind:
First and foremost, let’s remember to be grateful for what we have.
Let’s not forget that nothing is a given.
And let’s recognize that there are always two sides to a coin.
Originally published on: itsmylife.gr
This past week we’ve had extreme weather conditions including way too much snow in Athens. “What a gift this was,” said a friend of mine. “We were given a 3-day gift.” This got me thinking. We couldn’t drive anywhere, had to stay inside, schools were closed, kids had a blast playing with the snow – something they rarely see in Athens. Yes, it was definitely a wonderful, fun gift for some. For those of us who were healthy and didn’t need to get to the doctor or worse yet to the hospital. For those of us who had a roof over our heads and didn’t need to look for shelter. For those of us who had heat, electricity, and water. For those of us who had food on our plates. For those of us who had our loved ones nearby. Yes, for all of us it was an amazing gift!
But how about the others? How about the people whose houses were left without electricity or heat for long hours even days? How about the elderly or sick who live alone and had no help? How about those motorists who were stranded in the snow for more than 8 hours on the Athens’ ring road? I bet these people will not have fond memories of the extreme weather conditions. And I bet it’ll be hard for them to consider snow as a gift. Quite the opposite.
So while enjoying our gifts, whatever they may be for each one of us, let’s keep a few things in mind:
First and foremost, let’s remember to be grateful for what we have.
Let’s not forget that nothing is a given.
And let’s recognize that there are always two sides to a coin.
Originally published on: itsmylife.gr
