Toilet Paper

You know how they say you don't know what you've got till it's gone? Well, we ran out of toilet paper in my apartment this morning, and boy are they right. I never realized how much I love that stuff until now that we're out of it. Having no toilet paper has left us with only three options, none of which are very desirable: use an alternate form (like paper towels), hold it till you get to campus, or just don't go. Yeah... It's been a bit of a rough day.

Thinking about this whole conundrum of not missing the toilet paper till it was gone made me get all philosophical and think about other things in my life that are like that. I didn't care about playing field hockey until the fall after my senior year when I realized I wouldn't play it again. I didn't think twice about having my own bedroom until I had to start sharing one. I didn't appreciate my mom until I moved to college. And the list goes on. It's depressing, but I couldn't think of one situation off the top of my head where I fully realized what I had while I had it. I felt like an awful person!

So then I got thinking about how to combat this problem, because I don't want to go through life never appreciating what I have and regret that I never did when I lose it. And I came up with two solutions: always express my appreciation, and count my blessings daily. Let's discuss.

Always express my appreciation: I'd like to think that I say "thank you" often. Like when that random boy walking out of the library holds the door open so I can walk in. Or when my professor hands me back that test that I'm pretty sure I failed. Even though they don't necessarily warrant a verbal expression, I like to say it anyways in situations like these. And I have this blog, which helps with the whole attitude of gratitude. But I still think I could be better about this. Everyone likes to be appreciated, even for the dumb little things like taking out the trash. And if someone appreciates the work you do, you're more willing to do it again! At least I am, and I'd like to think I'm not alone. So that's goal number one - always express my appreciation. Really I think this planet would be a lot happier if people would say "thank you" more.

Count my blessings daily: I am awful about this. My brothers would say it's because I was spoiled as a child, so I have this idea that I should have everything handed to me, and I take it for granted. NOT TRUE. If anything, they're the ones that got off with a cushy deal. I'm pretty sure they've forgotten the meaning of the word housework, but I distinctly remember cleaning the toilets biweekly through my entire senior year. My mom even made me clean the toilets when I was home from college for the summer! Anyways. I think I'm so awful at this because, plain and simple, I forget. I forget that I have a decent apartment and enough food and money for college. And I forget that I have a bright future and people who love me. I forget to be thankful for all these little miracles in my life. So that's goal number two - count my blessings daily. I think by doing so I'll realize that I'm infinitely more lucky than I already know I am.

Well there you have it: my philosophies on life. Who knew they'd come from pondering our lack of toilet paper? It just goes to show that you can learn life lessons from the weirdest things. Like toilet paper. Which I'm grateful for, and I dearly wish we had. Typical day in the life of a college student, I guess.

Oh Happy St. Patrick's Day! And Happy Birthday Mom!