What are you thankful for?

Inspired by Magic authored by Rhonda Byrnes

I grew up practically an underdog. I wasn’t so awesome as other cool kids are. Actually, I am pretty kind much of an antisocial. Do they call it introvert?

 Frankly, I don’t give a damn. 

I have friends, but they have friends too. I got a boyfriend, but I figured out he got another girlfriend too. So practically, I have no one to spend my weekend with.

It and if boredom could kill, I was already six feet underground.

I decided to be charitable and volunteer to clean classrooms for the incoming students over the weekend. They will have to start classes on this incoming weekdays.  I was alone in the room because no one wants to come with me. They said there is a ghost in there.

Just some ordinary horror campus tale about a girl who jumped on the window and suicide. I don’t believe it, and I was convinced it wasn’t true when a high school girl comes in the room. She looked at me for a while, I thought she’s going to help in cleaning but she goes the other way around.

“Hey, please stop writing on the board. I already cleaned that a while ago!” I said to a redhead high-schooler girl who seemed not to care about me ranting at the back.

“Kids these days…” I decided to ignore her and continue mopping the floor

In the house, I do household chores…In school, I do chores again. Am I born to be a cleaner? This , I’m not even getting paid but then it makes me think.

What’s my purpose in life? To help other people, that’s what I’ve been told. But I find nothing wrong with it, I mean, if you do not know what to do in your hands, lend it to the others. Living life that is purposeless is much worse than dying. You’ll wake up in the morning, eat, go to work or a university, do homework or work task to earn money, eat again and sleep.

What do I live for?

You’re just merely surviving without goal… All alone in your monotonous routine.

If I can’t do anything for the world, just hang me to death or send me to a battlefield… At least I died a hero and with a fight, with a goal of diminishing enemies of the nation.

But what if life ? How can we turn it to 180 degrees and make it happy?

Does it always have to be “Same old, Same old…Nothing change good old mate.”?

I found the answer on a quote written by the high school girl on the board.

“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” –Thorton Wilder (1897-1975) Writer and Playwright

I went to the girl to ask what it meant, she only gave me a rock, and “Count your blessings…” she said to me as she gave me those eye smile that made my monotonous living drastically changed.

At first, I do not understand it, but I did it anyway. I started to count my blessings as the girl told me. Every time I looked at this rock, All I ever think about are her words “Count your blessings…” Am I blessed? How come I do not feel it? How come I got a lot of bad luck with me? I just stepped on my dog’s this morning, is that a blessing? I do not know. But yet, I decided to write the major things that happened to me for a week. I decided to give thanks to it, even for the most critical ty one.

It was a sunny day this morning so I decided not to bring my umbrella when I had my groceries. But happened, the rain suddenly poured.

“My, Oh My! The grocery ran out of stock of Jellies and now it’s raining. Thank you so much!” I said sarcastically

“Hey!” Suddenly, someone called my attention. I saw a familiar girl, the one that gave me the rock.

“Oh! You’re here too.

“I’m always everywhere…” the redhead girl said to me

I ignored her connotation and continued speaking “My…It’s raining heavily.” I said

“I have an umbrella, I’ll take you to the Northbound station.”

“How did you know I’ll go there?” I asked

“I know…I just know.” She said

We were walking when she asked me, “Did you count your blessings?”

“It hasn’t happened yet to me.”

“It’s already happening… You’re just unaware of it,” she said

“And give me one blessing you know that happened to me today?” I challenged her

She looked at me and said “You’re alive… It’s more than enough. You got a chance to breathe the air, the privilege to think, to enjoy and to love.”

She was right… How come this high school girl is much intelligent than adults that I hang out with? Maybe I’m with the wrong group or we’re just naturally fools.

I realized I’m already on my destination so I said “This is me…” she just stared at me with her unreadable expression “So… See you when I see you?” I said

“Don’t worry, I’m always everywhere.” She said those words again as she gave out another eye smile. It should have sound so creepy, however, it gives me a happy feeling of seeing this girl again.

Well, I just wrote down what happened to my day. I got stuck in traffic and got late on work. Is this a blessing? I have no idea.

On the next day, I was going to ride a bus but it seems like the bus is packed already. I was about to wait for another bus to come until someone pulled me inside before the door closes.

“Don’t waste your time, comfort will get you nowhere. Get out from it.” It was the same redhead high school girl as before.

“You’re here again…” I said to her

“I’m always everywhere…”

“I pretty much sure you’ll say that.”

“Ah, Where too? I mean your destination.” I asked her and she just pointed out the window outside

“You see those clouds? I want to ride them someday…And those birds, I want to fly with them too.” She said seriously and I just throw a fit of laughter

“Aladdin’s magic carpet is on its way… hang on!” I said as I made a fake whooshing  sound to make fun of the girl, but she ignored me and asked instead

“Did you count your blessings?”

“Same old, Same old…Life .”

“It wasn’t life…It was you.”

“How dare you?...” she cut me on my rants

“Life is always beautiful when you’re living it right…” she said, “You have the most powerful blessing, you just didn’t know.”

“How could I not know if it's something about my life?!” I said impatiently

“You’re taking it for granted.”

“Why you… I can show you an entire list of why my life !” I said

“You do not have much faith, do you?”

“Faith?”

“That every day is always a blessing…”

“Every day is a routine!” I laughed at her humour

“Do you still have the rock?” she asked

“Yes…”

“When was the last time you said thank you?”

“You told me to count my blessings, not to say thank you!”

“Blessings are gratitude…” she said

I was in a daze until I noticed that the bus already made it stopped on my destination.

“Will I see you again?” I asked

“I’m always everywhere…” she said and the bus door opens

“What’s your name?” I asked fastly because I was in a hurry of getting off

“Tiffany…” she said as she gave me that eye smile of hers.

That’s enough to brighten up my day. Is it a blessing? Maybe… Okay, maybe it was the best thing that I’ve seen so far. A beautiful smile from a mysterious philosophical girl.

A week had passed, I continued writing what’s going on with my life… Frankly, if you look at my list, it’s pitiful and boring. It definitely as I said to the girl… I purposely wrote every misfortune things that happened in my life to show it to Tiffany. She’ll find out that,

My life is plain, average, and boring…

I went to a café the next day, I saw my old professor slash my old crush. I was contemplating within me if I will approach him or not strike up some simple conversation, however, I was afraid he might not remember me anymore and will ignore me so I decided not to and just sit on a distant chair and looked at him.

“No matter what you are thinking, if you don’t say it, you won’t able to express it and people will not know it…” A familiar voice interrupted my thoughts

“Whoa there! You’re here again?” I asked

“I told you that…”

“Ah, yes… You’re always everywhere.” I said

She just kept quiet and looked at me.

“Don’t you have classes at this hour?” I asked her

“I’ve been there for years, I want a change of scenery…” she said

“Ah, skipping class? Then why are you always wearing that uniform?”

“I have no choice but to wear it…”

I just laughed, I noticed that the guy at the cashier kept staring at me weirdly but I decided to ignore it.

“Go on…” she said to me

“What?”

“Take your first leap of faith…” she said as she pointed at my old professor “That man is lonely, he definitely needs company.”

“H-How did you know?”

“I just know…”

“I…I don’t want to. I’m too tired.”

“You’re not tired… You’re afraid to be rejected.”

“I-I’m not! But, what if he doesn’t remember me?”

“You’ll never know the answer if you do not ask! Don’t think, just do it.”

“Fine.”

I stood up slowly and decided to approach the man that was reading the newspaper. As I go near him, my knees trembled and I was about to greet him when happened.

“H-Hi Mr.Byun…AAAAAHH! OUCH!” I didn’t notice the slippery when wet sign so I slipped.

“Oh, miss! Are you alright?” he asked

“I…I-I think so…” then I heard a giggle from my previous table. I glared at the eyeless mean creature but my gaze had softened when she smiled at me.

Professor lifted me up, and I so his expression very well “Miss Kim?” he said

“Ah… you... r-remembered me?”

“Of course! You’re one of the brightest students I ever handled.”

And with that, we talked a bit more before he told me he has to leave.

“I’ll see you around Miss Kim!” He shook my hands and waved goodbye at me

I could not believe what happened so I was left speechless on my spot. Then I noticed that the girl isn’t on her seat anymore.

“That brat… she abandoned me after I made out a fool of myself!” I muttered a curse then I walked out of the café. I decided to stroll at the park to get some fresh air and for sure, no one in the café will go there and noticed that the girl who tripped a while ago in front of her crush was there.

I was looking at a statue, the statue of freedom where our national hero is, then a v