Being Thankful on the Other Side of the World

Although I am on the other side of the world right now I certainly have not forgotten about thanksgiving (especially since it is by far my favourite time of the year). But it is definitely hard being so far away in a country that doesn't even celebrate the holiday that I have grown up with and love so much.

But the point of this post isn't to be upset about what I'm missing, because the world has a funny way of making everything work out. While I couldn't be around my family this thanksgiving the world somehow compensated for it. Now you can call it a coincidence but I'm tempted to believe that it is more then that...

Yesterday when I went into the kitchen to cook lunch it was very crowded and all the tables were full. The girl I was with chose a random table to sit down at. While we ate our lunch we started talking to the guy that had already been sitting at the table. He was from Austria and taught kids with disabilities back home. He was in the middle of an around the world trip so you can imagine how many interesting stories he had to share.

Now you may be thinking that it is very random that I'm bringing up an Austrian guy whom I met in a hostel kitchen but the timing was just to coincidental to ignore. We ended up spending the evening with him and we talked a lot about just being thankful for what we have, and making the best out of every situation.

Looking back on last night, meeting him and talking with him couldn't have come at a better time because even though I was missing home he reminded me that wherever you are you have to be thankful for what you have.

So right now I am so thankful that I have this opportunity to see a completely different part of the world and I am thankful for everyone in my life that continues to support me, even when I am so far away.  Getting emails and messages from all you guys back home makes it easier to be this far away ... especially on those days when I wonder why I came so far away from the comforts of home in the first place.

I hope everyone had the chance this weekend, in between the business of trying to see family and friends, to take a moment to appreciate the little things and be thankful for where you are and what you have at this moment in time.

Happy Thanksgiving from New Zealand!

Rachel