Opinion: Thankful Thinking

Opinion%3A+Thankful+Thinking

Living in Northern Virginia, there are privileges we forget to be thankful for. Here are 10 things to remember to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.

Trash men: Every day Americans produce about 4.6 pounds of trash per person. Luckily there are services to remove it from your house, but America hasn’t always had that. In the 1860s, “Residents of Washington D.C, dump garbage and slop into alleys and streets, pigs roam freely, slaughterhouses spew nauseating fumes, and rats and cockroaches infest most dwellings including the White House,” according to ASTC.org. The men and women who take away the trash every week are a huge help to keeping the streets clean and we should thank them for it.

School: Although students complain about the copious amounts of schoolwork given to them daily, they forget how truly lucky, especially girls, are able to have this good of an education. “An estimated 131 million girls worldwide remain out of school and face multiple barriers to education. These include distance to school, cultural norms and practices, school-related gender-based violence and early or forced marriage,” according to GlobalParternership.org. Many boys worldwide also have challenges to attend school, and this area is extremely lucky to have this good of an education. “I am thankful because it gives me more opportunities to go into different career paths if I wish and be able to support myself more than I would be able to if I didn’t have a good education,” said Sierra Moore.

Clean water: More people have become aware of how privileged they are to have easy access to water since the Flint Michigan Water Crisis has made the limelight in the news.

Access to Doctors: Near the nation’s capital, we have amazing doctors and specialists every few streets. “In this area it’s very easy to get care. If you break your arm there are like twelve hospitals to go to. We even have patient first and it’s very easy to get help,” said sophomore Gonzalo Miranda.

Potomac Falls Sports Teams: There is a heavy impact of athletics at this school and if there isn’t a sport, there is a lot of support to start a team. “I’m thankful for having the players to build a team and the coaching staff to take care of us; we’re like a family. We’re lucky because Park View doesn’t have a team and those seniors are missing out on a family,” said junior Collin Araque about his experience on the football team.

Your phone: In this school, if you don’t have an iPhone you are looked at like you are crazy. Students forget how blessed they are to have this device. “I’m thankful for phones because we are able to have so much access to different things, and I think we take for granted that our parents pay for them as we grow up. We should take in consideration the things they do for us,” said senior Jamie Lawall.

Postal Services: In this day and age, with Amazon Prime, people expect their packages to be on their front door step within a few days, forgetting they may be coming from the other side of the world. The men and woman that travel far distances with packages and letters deserve to be recognized this Thanksgiving.

A surplus of grocery stores: If someone wanted to quickly grab a gallon of milk, they could choose from 10 local grocery stores to go to. In this area, there are tons of stores within a few minute drive.

All four seasons: In Northern Virginia the residents get to experience humid summers, freezing winters, and all the temperatures in between. All four seasons are very prominent here and everyone has a different favorite season.

The first amendment: The first amendment in the United States constitution gives many freedoms including free speech, petitioning, religion, and press. The lives of citizens would differ greatly if our government didn’t give us these freedoms. “I am thankful for the first amendment because it guarantees the fundamental rights that make me so proud to be an American. My words, my right to assemble, and my right to express opinions through petition are all rights that should be celebrated,” said senior John Le.