“People who are never asked to consider what they are grateful for will continue to experience what they’ve always experienced, but fail to feel the happiness gratitude adds to that experience.” ~KW
Some people worry about the rising generation.
To many, they seem detached, addicted to the numbing escapism of electronic devices, entitled and ungrateful, somehow shallower than past generations, impatient, lazy, voyeuristic and disrespectful. Their language is coarse and vulgar. Their music is inundated with overtones of sex and violence. Their icons are often rude, self-destructive, self-indulgent and exhibitionistic.
And yet there is a shining glimmer of hope that pierces the coarseness of modern youth culture.
Every year, before my high school seniors head out for Thanksgiving vacation, I ask them to list the 10 things in their lives they are most grateful for. Some moan and groan and roll their eyes. Then they start to think.
Perhaps for the first time in their lives they are asked to pull life out of the shadows of neglect, to stop taking everything for granted and feel for a moment the joy and happiness of gratitude.
This post is a sampling of their responses, categorized and largely unedited. They offer hope that the next generation will be okay, perhaps exceptionally so.
The Expected and Unexpected
Some of the responses were repeated by nearly all my students. Almost everyone listed family and friends and somewhere to live. Others were, well, unique. Only one mentioned being thankful for their legible penmanship. Another was grateful for brain cells. One student was thankful for hair.
Others were no surprise coming from a bunch of teenagers: TV, movies, technology, internet, video games and cell phones.
A few gave me pause. One wrote that she was thankful her mother did not abort her or her brother. She had planned to, but in the end, didn’t. I’m not sure why she would know such a thing, but it’s definitely something to be grateful for.
I’ve been inspired (and at times entertained) by their responses and hope you will be too. Let me know in the comments.
What High School Students are Grateful for
People
I’m thankful for…
My crazy girlfriend
That regardless of what I have done, my friends and family still love and accept me
Friends feeding me
Friends who put me first
Loyal friends
For all my friends that need my support
My friends because I don’t know why they have stuck around
Family and friends and teachers … almost every day
Parents who love and encourage me
Everyone who has ever inspired me to do better
Being around such motivated and awesome people
Those who help me succeed in life
My grandparents who are always there for me
My family who inspires me
People who will always defend me when needed
My little brother
Having a second family everywhere I go
Santa Clause
Everyone who has influenced me to be a better person
A loving, understanding and encouraging family
A mother who deals with me and puts me before herself
Cousins who are practically my sisters
People who care
Everything and everyone who has made me the person I am today
My parents never giving up on me
Doctors who help children
Those that have written me college letters of recommendation
Passionate teachers
Teachers being there as guides
Teachers who care about me
Teachers who act like my parents away from home
Teachers like you Mr. Wert—can I get an A+ for that?
Pretty girls
A family that is together and close to each other
That my parents are so strong and smart and sacrificed so much for me
My loving girlfriend
My brother who is a Marine
Having met so many inspirational people throughout my life
Time spent with family over the holidays
Tax payers who pay for our education
A brother who always listens to my rants
My twin sister
Having a large family
My beautiful, kind, caring, loving and supportive family
For everyone that has come into my life
The awesomest best friend
Spending time with people I love
Not living with my father
My baby sister
My niece
Character and Religion
I’m thankful for…
Generosity in people
Church, because it influences my actions
Being brought up with morals
My beliefs
My religion
Being able to love unconditionally
For putting a smile on everyone’s faces whenever they’ve had a bad day
God
God’s mercy
My faith
Reasonable punishment
Understanding the difference between right and wrong
The ability to love
Being able to help others
Everything I’ve been blessed with
Thankful to know God
Religious freedom
My morals
Opportunities to serve my school and life’s lessons
Peace, equality, help, hope, integrity and strength
Talents and Passions
I’m thankful for…
My artistic abilities
My music school that taught me to play guitar
Singing
Acting
Dancing
Band
Knowing how to cook for myself
Basics/Necessities
I’m thankful for…
Food in the fridge and enough food to survive
Clothes on my back and warm water to shower with
My bed, water and clothes to wear
Conditions
I’m thankful for…
Freedoms and liberties
Getting Thanksgiving week off
Having no more fines
Not being attacked when I go down the street
Vacation plans
Opportunities
Being born without disease
Being able to wake up not worrying about whether or not I am going to die
Living in California where there are no whether problems
That I live in the US
Being able to wake up every morning
That my parents are employed
A job
Financial stability
Not being as sick as much as least week
Miscellaneous
I’m thankful for…
For my mother who helps fulfill my fashion needs
My dad’s car, even though it breaks down every other month
Extracurricular activities
Animated movies
Having a car
Jackets
Pillows
Backpacks
Candy
Money
Glasses
Athletics
Tennis
Softball
Baseball
Soccer
Music
Animals
Shoes
Disneyland
Concerts
Makeup
Paint
Movies
My own room
A driver’s license
Entertainment
Fun
My cat
Our generation
The Constitution
Tumblr
Playgrounds
My lizard
Morrissey and the Smiths
Girly shopping stores
Glitter, sunflowers, fries and chips
Italian and Mexican food
Cleaning—toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant
Economics
Non-student days
Books
Everything
Heart, Body and Mind
I’m thankful for…
The ability to think for myself
My intelligence
A healthy body and mind
For all my experiences in my life
Unconditional love
For being alive
Passing calculus with a “B”
A happy life
Happiness
Knowledge
The ability to think
Being healthy because I know people who want to run, wrestle and jump hurdles but can’t.
Arms, legs, hands and a brain that works
Eyes that can see
Mouth that can speak
A nose
Learning
Education
Vision
Attitude
I’m thankful for…
Those who find good even when things get bad
Opportunities I have to pursue my dreams
For each day I wake up be it good or bad
For my optimistic mind
All the little moments
How I make people laugh—it makes me feel like I did something awesome that day
My dad punishing me for being disobedient
Life
I’m thankful for…
My past experiences because they make me who I am today
Knowing my life is always in my hands
Knowing every day is another choice, another gift
The beauty of nature
Free time
Past experiences
Getting hired without any experience
Laughter
Being a functional human being
Every breath of life I have
Having a voice that I can always use
My identity
That I can live freely, able to write this and enjoy my life
That I’m the person I am
Your Turn …
One of my students ended her list with this question:
What are you thankful for, Mr. Wert?
You can find my responses here and here (but be warned, they won’t be what you would expect).
Now I ask you the same question: What are you thankful for?
for every opportunity to grow… and the people walking with me, some parts of the road
Ken I always love your posts and I LOVE both of your gratitude lists. I surely am grateful for toilet paper and hot water and almost everything else on your list. I make a gratitude list almost every day and have never thought to put them on my list until now. I love hot water, warm baths and certainly can’t imagine life without toilet paper.
Thanks for reminding me of all the things big and small. Thursday here in the US is my favorite holiday – Thanksgiving Day. I am thankful you and your blog has happened into my life.
With lots of thanks, Susan
Susan Gregg recently posted … Episode 104: Living Through Disaster
Thanks Susan! Yes, those gratitude lists were fun to create. It’s easy to take such things for granted, right? But then when we think about life without things like toilet paper we suddenly become particularly appreciative of the product and whoever invented it in its soft and convenient form. 🙂
Thanksgiving is one of my two favorite holidays too. And I’m thankful for you, Susan. I love how the internet has made creating online friendships possible. I hope your Thanksgiving is filled with more to be grateful for than there is time to take it all in!
Ken, I would so love to see the actual responses! Gratitude lists are always amazing, no matter how trivial the items on the list.
I am grateful for everything – to wake up, for the easy smiles and hugs I receive, for so much to look forward to through the day, even if it is clearing up the kitchen sink. Incidentally my folks can’t figure out why I love washing utensils. They can’t get the instant gratification part – instant results.
For my part, I’ve done a tiny survey with all my little people friends (first to third graders) and got answers like “my color pencils”, “my school bag because it has my favorite cartoon”, “my mother”, “my father”, even “my school” and “spongebob”.
I am totally in agreement with them because they’re all living in the moment and there’s no better way!
I am grateful for you, dear Ken, my Brother from ‘nuther Mother! Hugs and love!
Vidya Sury recently posted … Touched By Love
Hi Vidya! While duplications were removed and editing was kept to a sever minimum, what you saw was indeed the list, verbatim in nearly all instances. I kept a bit of the duplication in the post because some of my kids expressed the same idea in a unique or particularly insightful or inspiring way, but other than that, the only real editing was removing redundancies from one list to another.
Yeah, I think I’m there with your folks. Doing any kind of dishes just doesn’t do it for me. 😉
I love hearing how young kids answer such questions. Such open honesty about what they love. Simple and sincere.
I like that: I’m a “Brother from another Mother.” And I’m grateful for you too, Vidya! You’re a joy!
Hi Ken
It’s right that you’ve got to be intentional and thankful about the good things in life for multiplying their effect in our lives.
We’ve got to make more room in our mind for possibilities that appear remote.Some times you are two feet from the goldmine and you stop digging after going hundreds of feet under. The amusing part is that this continues to happen in real life.
Mostly gratitude happens to speed up whatever we desire most.
Thanks
Mona
richmiraclefiles recently posted … Look For The Diamond In Everybody;Appreciate Unabashedly
I’ve always wondered how many people get two feet away from reaching their dreams, as you say, only to give up just before getting there. Of course, there’s no way to know, but it must happen a lot.
I like this line particularly, Mona: “We’ve got to make more room in our mind for possibilities that appear remote.” That’s right! The limits we place in our minds creates the roadblocks that allow us to stop short of the goals we’ve set, goals that we very well may be within two feet of reaching.
Thanks for sharing, Mona. Gratitude certainly makes the journey a lot more enjoyable!
I find it striking that adults when contemplating youth discontent don’t consider that they may be part of the problem.
I find young people idealistic, impatient and energetic. I think they are an example to adults.
So firstly I am grateful for young people wanting to make the world a better place and taking action to do so.
My current housing – lovely spaces in a beautiful location.
My partner.
(No particular order.)
Evan recently posted … I’m Taking a Week or Two Off
Haha! Yes, I do believe adults are often part of the problem. Over the years, I’ve had a lot of kids open up to me about their lives at home. Adults definitely put up obstacles too often. And in a lot of ways, I totally agree with you about the examples youth can be to adults. Many of them are in fact doing so much to change the world for the better. I can’t begin to express how moved I am by so many of my kids whose lives are so filled with difficult classes and extracurricular activities and simply have no time for much of anything else, and yet volunteer an amazing number of hours to bless the lives of those in their community.
But having been a teacher for over a decade now, like any demographic, youth are a mixed bad of energetic people out to improve the world and those who are looking for a shortcut through life and have few qualms about using and abusing others to get there.
Still, I’m with you in being grateful for young people, Evan. They are a dynamic group.
Thanks for adding to the conversation, my friend.
Believe that life is worth living, and your belief will help create the fact.
Hey Jeff,
I can hardly imagine how oppressive it must feel to believe life is not worth living. Too many believe that. And, perhaps, too many are doing little to make their lives scream purpose and meaning and significance so loudly there’s little room to doubt. Not that I believe we have to be doing any particular thing to imbue life with meaning (I believe life is inherently meaningful), but some people do so much to serve and bless others that it would take a grand act of self-delusion to believe there is no meaning to their lives.
But you are so right that believing life is worth living will create the attitude and mindset that will influence the choices and behavior that will produce the results that will undeniably fill life with an amazingly rich sense of meaning and purpose.
I’m thankful for the opportunity I have had to connect with you over these past few years. You have been an adviser, mentor, supporter, encourager, inspirer, and most of all a friend. I posted my last blog post recently. I hope you will stop by. Best wishes to you and your family for a wonderful holiday season. Thank you.
Galen Pearl recently posted … It Is Enough
Aw, thank you Galen. I feel the same about you. While my time puts huge constraints on what and how much I’m able to do (in terms of connecting and interacting), an unexpected blessing to starting a blog has been the amazing people I’ve met. And you, my dear friend, are up there at the top of that list (shared with a couple others) of inspiring and motivating and encouraging people I have come to adore. Thank you for that.
PS: I’m heading over to your blog right now!
Another great post Ken. You’d be amazed at what appears on my gratitude list sometimes 🙂
Thanks, Wade. Haha! I’d love to get a sneak peek! I have some interesting ones on my list too. Here’s a sample: 48 Unconventional Things I’m Grateful for.