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Hey Pandas, What Are Some Everyday, Ordinary Things You Think People Take For Granted? (Closed)
I went out one beautiful day this summer, after all the rain we've had and more coming, I smelled something unexpected in the city. It smelled like an ocean breeze with lush plants, flowers and fresh air. All I wanted to do was just inhale it all and be outside for the remainder of the day. My daughter noticed it when I told her. My mom didn't understand what I was talking about. We don't live anywhere close to an ocean, the wind was coming from the south in the middle of the prairies, but we had so much rain lately and so much greenery. The past few summers have been rough and the winters were harsh. Most of the time we've been inside.
It saddens me when I see someone lighting up a cigarette right when they step outside. I just want to tell them to take a moment, or anyone really, like really take some time to appreciate the lovely smell of the summer breeze and just take it all in.
What are some things you think people don't notice or appreciate but should?
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Waking up pain-free is something that most people take for granted. I think people who don’t suffer from any chronic pain disability are blessed and will never understand this invisible disability.
This. As a fellow sufferer I totally agree. And there's always some idiot that will say something like "but you don't look ill" or "you just need more exercise / better diet / essential oils blah blah blah ... Sending gentle virtual hugs x
The moon. Its pull on our tides. Its navigational assistance. Its lighting up the night. And it’s unbelievably gorgeous. Silver! The minute I step outside when it’s visible, my eyes are drawn to it like a magnet, and we say “hello”.
Their health. Having a healthy body is a privilege and so many people abuse it.
I must admit I take food in supermarkets and the money in my wallet to buy it for granted.
Exactly what you said in the title. Everyday, ordinary things. The weather we sometimes love or hate. Someone wishes for a sunny day, someone wishes for rain. Our tiny apartment. Our huge house (you gotta keep that clean!). Our lousy job. Our lack of job (we need money to survive). Our children. Our lack of children. Our pets. Our overabundance of pet hair. Our lack of pets. You name it, you on't know what you've got until it's gone, and the grass is always greener on the other side. Take a look around you for a moment and appreciate everything you have
This year has been super hard to cope with from a severe decline of work at my current job. I recently put in my 2 weeks as I found a new job with well-endowed hours. The lack of work, although nice to have that time off, has put me in deep debt and I'm running out of financial resources to use to keep up with bills and rent. It's so scary. When there's work in the other shifts I'll add. I now appreciate working a bit more. My new job will be great and I can start picking myself back up.
After caring for my own parents and losing my father just last year it’s made me realize how many people forget about the elderly people in their lives. I guess I never thought about it before and this is definitely a big commitment and I understand everyone has their own lives to live but I would love to see more people taking care of our elders. I think a lot of people either get caught up in their own things or expect others to take care of mom, dad, grandma, or grandpa. These folks are to be cherished and celebrated. Not forgotten.
This. My boyfriend takes care of his disabled, ailing parents full time, and that's what he wants to do over working. People criticize him about this choice, saying he should put them in a home and go to work so he can be a "productive citizen in society". From what we know of how people are treated in those homes they wouldn't last, and he would be devastated if anything happened to them. He doesn't earn much for it, just a carer's allowance, and some of that he gives to his parents. He is bored often, can't go out anywhere without his parents who have severe mobility issues or if his sister is there to watch them for a bit while he goes for a quick jaunt to the store. That's the kind of commitment and sacrifice not even a professional carer is willing to accept. He's not doing it with ease and happiness, either. He's got it his own mental and physical struggles to deal with but he's insistent he wouldn't have it any other way. He loves them a lot. Every now and then I give cheer on.
Their pancreas. Do I need to explain?
My daughter has recently been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Yes, i completely agree, the pancreas.
Flushing toilets / indoor plumbing!
Nothing reminds you to appreciate indoor plumbing quite like enduring a "vault / pit /outhouse toilet" at a "rusic" campground for two whole weeks! Wuth no sink or shower, either!
Was beyond grateful to get home and shower (without hauling multiple buckets of water from a well tap)... and especially grateful to just walk across the hall to pee (Seriously! Who wants to walk a quarter mile in the middle of the night with a lantern... only to worry about mosquitoes biting you in the a*s... while sitting on the smelliest toilet ever as you literally hover over a hole filled with other people's excrement? 🤢).
Loved the trip, but was certainly glad to return to the normalcy of civilization... and indoor plumbing!
On that same note, electricity is another thing we take for granted (yet really miss when its not available)!
I think my mum would definitely agree with you. She hasn't had much running water at her place for a while, as the new place she bought was having issues. First they thought it was the water tanks (she's not on town supply) but they were sealed and filling up. They eventually got someone in who worked out it was the pipes that had eroded, so need them replaced but the plumber won't do it until they dig a trench and my step dad hasn't managed to do that yet! They make do with what they get from a smaller water tank for drinking and dishes and small batches of washing but have been going to the local pool for showers and only flushing toilet when absolutely necessary!
Animals cats,dogs,fish,birds snakes,ferrets,etc
They make you feel better.
The sky. If you look up, you see this vast, beautiful sky and nobody seems to appreciate how pretty it is.
Subtle beauty everywhere- the dandelion growing through a crack in the concrete, vines dangling from a brick wall, the sunset going below the trees. My favorite thing to do, that I realize I am extremely lucky to be able to- is looking at the stars on a clear night. Though most people in the country don’t realize that a large amount of our population never sees the Milky Way, because of light pollution in the city’s.
I’ve only seen the Milky Way three or four times in the last 20 years, but every night when I walk my dog I think about it when I’m looking up at the measly 20-40 stars I can see. The loss of the night sky breaks my heart.
love, friendship, confidence....a sense of belonging?
I don’t take a sense of belonging for granted, as I don’t have that.
Living in America. Not a perfect place but. It better than other countries and those who are here always complaining about America.
The nation we live in. The pandemic showed me how much so many really don’t appreciate the structure of this nation and the codes out there to keep everyone safe. When there came a time to have to do more, so many screamed about their “rights”. I don’t think the wearing of masks ever came up during the Constitutional Convention in 1789.🤷🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️
I know one bitter, angry, and miserable man who takes EVERYTHING for granted. I personally know people who have had their arms and legs blown off in combat and people who are dying of cancer who are happier than this fool.
Definitely getting enough sleep. I’ve been informally diagnosed with late insomnia, meaning I wake up super early.
Be grateful for your sleep, people.
That there comes water out of the faucet when you open it. In general: how good our lifes are compared to the life people live on other sides of this world.
Breathing.
I have one good lung and one that is half the size it should be. Birth defect.
I get short of breath often and am currently battling covid.
I will never know what perfect breathing feels like.
walking. never realized how much i enjoyed walking till i can't anymore.
Clean water available right now. No need to go to a well or walk long distances and lug it back home.
Your youthful metabolism. Once you hit a certain age that thing just goes...LOL Bye.
People don’t generally take for granted all the things they DON’T have: like NOT getting into a car accident after work, (it’s life changing when we do, but most don’t celebrate getting home safe without incident… NOT being wheelchair bound, NOT being allergic to many common things, NOT having a son addicted to heroin… The absence of trauma is DEF something to be grateful for! EX: I never took it for granted that I hadn’t ever been attacked by a dog until I was.
Free will. The ability to get up and do as I please for the day.
Empathy ! Some people have no regards for you at all and love to gaslight you. It appears the more empathetic you are the worse you are treated. I was in a relationship for close to 2 years and found all along he was narcissistic and lied about whole life mostly. I almost married him. Luckily gut feeling showed me his issues.I continued to try with him and offered to help because he has sexual addiction. He can’t stop, always on social media with women etc. I even proved sources online. Unfortunately he said “ no hacked account “. All lies! Last night he needed a cool place to sleep and shower because his water and electricity was not set up yet because I kicked him out. Because of my empathy and over caring I let him stay at my house. He left to say “ thanks and things will get better when his hacked accounts get fixed”. Really? Never will that happen. But in long run I still help and try to be good to people. In long run I just hurt myself. There’s very few people in the world that can truly be empathetic. It is sad because I am pretty much telling him to get help and I would take him back.Looking back I know u can not help people who won’t help them selves and never appears to see my worth and empathy for him. I answered most of my questions I know he is a narcissist but how hurtful they are. No empathy.
