Just a genuine thought..

This is something random I've been thinking about. I came to Canada when I was nearly 11. We came as immigrants, with barely any knowledge of the country. These days, people do tonnes of research, get opinions from others and work things out before they come. We were practically clueless. This weekend, we had dad's friend over for dinner. He just moved from the States to Brampton, a month ago because of some citizenship issues. As we all finished dinner, and sat down as a family in the living room, we started discussing what life used to be.
I was raised in a middle class family back in India and one of the main reasons for moving here was financial stability and a better future. These are one of the common reasons for anyone to immigrate abroad. There were times, when I thought twice before getting something from a vending machine in middle school. There were times we had to contemplate whether we can go even shop for clothes. As you guys know, I always give the entire credit to my parents for everything - for giving me the life I have now, and for person I am today, with their values and teachings.

Now, we are living an established and happy life. And the funny thing is, we were always "happy." Our time of grief lasted a year in Canada. And that is nothing, compared to what I see today. We didn't unpack our suitcases until four months after coming here, because we were so sure we'd go back. My dad did not let my mom work in any labour positions and paid for her education, so she could upgrade her nursing and go right into her career. He worked in factories, and I remember that he used to have huge blisters on his feet because he wasn't used to wearing safety shoes. We used to get together at the dinner table and literally cry. 

The struggle was ongoing, but we were happy. Because as the quote says in the picture, we didn't have the best of everything. We just made the best out of everything. We lived in a basement for 9 months and shifted to an apartment. We lived there for 2 years, and moved into a house. The success was gradual. And from the last three years, we have been where we wanted to be when we first came in. And that's what they were all discussing and thanking God. And I thought to myself, how neat! It's actually true. No matter how bad the conditions were, and when we did not even have things that normal people were able to afford - we were still somehow happy in what we had and did not complain.

This has almost always been our "family mantra." Even in India, when we were middle class people - we never felt that we lack anything - we would happily suffice in whatever we had. My parents did the best they could in any given situation. And only God knows how thankful I am to them. It's not always about HAVING everything - i.e. money, love, career etc. It's about appreciating what is going well in your life, to balance out things that might not be going so well.

So, make the best of what you have and the rest will just catch up itself. And just to conclude this post, I am gonna use a quote that my dad always uses and makes me smile, "Don't worry, be happy." =) Hope you guys have a wonderful week ahead!