As some of you may know, I’ve been a huge video game fan for most of my life (much to the chagrin of my parents). My personal favorite series of all time is The Legend of Zelda, an adventure series that I remember being one of the first games I ever played (the specific game was Ocarina of Time, for those of you in the know). As a child who tended to be very awkward and withdrawn, I remember relishing the time I got to spend trekking across the great land of the game, fighting monsters and saving the world. One thing that still sticks with me today from the series is the side quests, optional quests offered that don’t necessarily affect the outcome of the game’s main story, but that offer rewards for going out of the way to complete them. One that always stood out to me was a quest from the 2011 game Skyward Sword: if you go to an area below the town you live in, you find a friendly demon who wants to become a human. However, the only way he can become a human is by collecting items called “gratitude crystals.” In order to help him, you have to go about helping the people of the town, and after doing so they will be overwhelmed with thankfulness to create the aforementioned crystals.

Now, why did I tell you this story? Well, besides having an excuse to talk about video games, I’ve always been struck by the idea that a person’s gratitude could be so incredibly strong, even in a fantasy video game. Recently, I’ve been even more consumed by the idea of gratitude, even though it seems as though there’s nothing to be grateful for. Although things are looking very bleak right now, I’m trying to keep a positive mindset in order to get through the days (whether or not it works all the time is another story, but I’m only human) Part of this is finding things to be grateful for every day, thus creating my own daily “gratitude crystals.” If I may, here are some of the things I am thankful for today:

I’m in such a safe place to weather this storm compared to where I was four years ago.

Despite this horrible pandemic, I’ve been encouraged to put myself out there more on social media, including picking up this blog again.

I’ve gotten back in contact with several people whom I’d sadly fallen out of touch with.

Thanks to technology, I’ve been able to do things I hadn’t done in years such as take dance classes.

Thanks to that same technology, I was able to have a virtual Easter dinner with my parents, actually making this the first time I’ve spent Easter with them in quite a while.

There are people such as health workers and everyone working in essential businesses and jobs who are bravely putting themselves at risk every day by selflessly continuing to go in to work.

Most importantly, my friends, family and I are healthy and safe, which is frankly all I can ask for in this crazy time.

Though things are insane and dark right now, I’m going to make it a point going forward to find something to be grateful for every day, since having that little bit of positivity in my life can only help me get through. Wherever you are in your life, I’d encourage you to do the same. Even though you may struggle to find anything to be grateful for, if you find even one little thing, I assure you it will make things seem a little less bleak.

Thanks for reading, stay safe and strong.