Gratitude

Julia Tucker, Columnist

Pets

2020 has been really hard for all of us, so it’s important to remember what you’re thankful for. For me, I am thankful for my dog Fritz.

Sales of animals have gone up since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and there’s no question for why. People were lonely and saw quarantine as a great time to purchase a pet. 

I have been struggling lately like many and having Fritz around has been a bigger help than anyone could imagine. When I was around ten I begged my parents for two years to get a dog. They would always tell me no because dogs are a huge responsibility. I continued to not believe them and would ask for specific reasons, then proceed to counter those reasons. I finally got my brother on board and together we persuaded them. One year I begged my parents to get me a puppy for Christmas. They finally caved in and started looking for one that fit my family. 

Today we have Fritz. He requires a lot of maintenance, but he is totally worth it. He is my little baby because he has to wear a diaper and he only lets you pick him up if you are walking or bouncing him. Honestly he is a bit messed up, but I love him.

Health

Being thankful for our health workers right now is especially a big thing, but we also have to be thankful for them even when COVID is over. They do things for everyone but have been overlooked until now. I know first hand that you should be thankful.

One day when I was younger, my parents got a call that no one ever wants to recieve. We found out that my grandfather had had a heart attack. We raced to the hospital to see him, and luckily he survived. There were a few reasons he survived, but one of the surprising ones was because of a landscaper. It sounds weird, but it’s true. My grandfather was sitting on the couch talking to my grandmother when he grabbed his chest and fell over. My grandmother, not knowing what had happened, yelled out her window for help and a landscaper jumped over the fence and started giving him CPR until the ambulance arrived. The ambulance came just in time and was able to save my grandfather. Turns out that the man that saved my grandfather was a retired hospital worker. That man was then given a prize for saving his life. I could not be more thankful. Also, I was really young when we found out that I had a mole that developed cancer. I had to get it removed so the cancer would not spread. I am just glad they found it that early, and I still have the scar under my left eye.

I am thankful for many things, but these few really stick out to me.