The Cost of Taking People and Moments for Granted

Human nature is very dynamic and strange at the same time. It's quite intriguing how you'll see someone at this present moment who seems to have all they need or some of what they need, but despite what they have at hand, it'll be surprising to realize what they mostly think of at that moment is what they don't have. This fills up their mind, making it clouded with desire that makes them forget or realize how important what you've presented is. I'm no exception in this regard because I've made that mistake, and today I want to talk about it and why it's so for most people.

A typical example of such scenarios is how when I was much younger, I had some challenges that made me despise being young. For that reason I remember how I usually anticipated growing up and being an adult so I could overcome those challenges I was currently facing. Having this mindset makes me overcome all the good things about my life at that point in time when I was young, and now that I'm an adult, there are times when I'm greeted by the reality of adulthood, and I just can't think, Why did I rush to become an adult? But then it's what it is; we humans just don't appreciate things until we lose them.

I can vividly remember several years ago when I was in a relationship with my first love; everything was going so well and smoothly to the point where I just felt like I needed a break, and that led to me giving her distance and not spending more time with her. It got to the point where I just kept giving her excuses—not that I was double dating or cheating, I just felt like the familiarity was too much. But at the end of the day, he ended up getting tired of my constant excuses and cutting ties with me. It was at that moment and weeks after our breaking up that I realized how much I love and adore her and began to long for her again, but by then it was too late.

So what then could be the cause of this kind of human habit? In my opinion, I think it's just because we're not grateful for what we have, and this has led to a lack of contentment, because after having that, we find ourselves craving something else, just as I began to crave space after finally dating my first love. Having a heart full of gratitude and contentment is one way to not look after what you don't have but be appreciative of what you currently have.

All photos are mine.