Taken for granted.

People, services, cars, and lifestyles to name but just a few. We all have things, people or places we just take for granted. Part of the surroundings, the background or the scenery, we assume the things we choose and want around us will always be there. So your favourite bakery shuts down, oh bugger you say, and find another. But there are other things that you really don't appreciate until they are gone.

Forgetting when or how something came into your life is a bad position to be in. Losing track of its importance in your day to day life is the first stage of taking something for granted. I have owned a car since legally old enough to drive, and while I can't imagine not having a car at my disposal each day, I remember its importance and existence due to the monthly expenditure on it.

But how about people. Recent events in mine and other peoples lives have proven that we should not take our life, nor that of another for granted at all. Life is a right after all.... Isn't it? Look at the beautiful surroundings of the country you live in. You may or may not have grown up there, but choices in your life will have taken you there, and the betting is that you can look at others in the world and appreciate what you have both personally and available to you. But all this can be gone in an instant. Recession, civil war, or natural disaster. They have all hit hard over the past few years, and many millions of people have received a wake-up call that most of what they take for granted day to day, is not longer available, people they love are gone, possessions lost forever, and a way of life deleted.

So the people near to you, the ones you tell openly of your feelings towards them, the important people in your life.. Do you remember the beginning? How you met, why you grew so close and why they are so important to you? Think hard about this now, and I bet with a few people you will stumble for a moment.

Recent times have called for a reality check, a stock take, and a bit of a shake up of things. Probing my mind for memories of the first time we met, first words, and why a second time ever happened. What was it about these people that made me decide to put them in a special place in my heart? And more to the point, do I let them know why I feel that way enough. Do I even make that known at all? For me right now, its all about reaching out and communicating clearly to people I love and care about, how I feel, and letting them know they are dear to me. Remembering, respecting, and reinforcing that bond.

Don't take anything for granted, the next 10 years or the next breath. Friends, family, and loved ones. Possessions are material objects which can be replaced. Losing one is an inconvenience, but you will get over it. Lose a person from your life... That hole will remain forever.

Regards
Michael

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