Things We Are Thankful For
by IAIN ANGUS
Living in Vancouver, Canada, it’s very easy to forget the problems of the world. Clean water flows freely from our taps; the air is crisp and clear. Anything we desire is within easy reach. Malaria, and Dysentery are nasty words from a different place. Famine, Drought and War are nothing more than images on the news.
We take for granted family and friends and health and wealth; complaining about the driver who cut us off on the way to the supermarket, or the server who brought the burger with the wrong toppings, or the dropped wi-fi, crowded malls, slow service, old smartphones-you know the ones without fingerprint recognition- we get upset when we can’t do what we want, when we want, how we want.
A sense of entitlement is fully entrenched in our culture. It saddens me that we need a season to focus on being thankful, but apparently we do, and perhaps that’s not a bad thing.
Christmas and New Year, for whatever reason, tends to bring out the best in most people. Philanthropic endeavors rise; individuals as well as businesses go out of their way to help the less fortunate. People take time to consider what they are thankful for, even amid the greed and commercialism that has taken over.
There is a sentimentality that comes with this season that I look forward to. I get nostalgic watching the Christmas cartoons from my youth, and reliving the traditions I had as a child with my son. I am grateful that I get to spend the holidays with my family, and that they are all healthy and happy.
I am lucky to live in a city and a country that affords me a good quality of life. It is at this time of year however that I generally take some time to appreciate the things I don’t usually consider.
I am thankful that I have a great job, and that I get to work with wonderful people. Working at VGC gives me opportunity to be surrounded by amazing people from all over the world every day. I am thankful that they share of themselves and their culture with me. I hope I have been able to give back even a fraction of what I have received.
Watch this video to see some of the many things we’re thankful for at VGC.
I would like to wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season. Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
[custom_author=Iain Angus]