I took a long walk with a friend today, and it’s had me thinking.

I’m pretty down on my college fairly often. It’s definitely not the right place for me, and I’m glad I made the choice to transfer after this year, but man is it beautiful around here. I need to get better at finding the beauty in the misery, cause it’s always there somewhere. 

It’s possible the fact that I know that I’m leaving is making me nostalgic for things that haven’t even ended yet. I am a fairly sentimental person.

But I have good friends, and for that I am grateful.

I live somewhere beautiful, and for that I am grateful.

I have the chance to do good things and go good places, and for that I am grateful.

I know that no matter where I end up, I will always have people who love me.

And for that, I am beyond grateful. 

I get kind of uncomfortable every time we as an American nation or a world community are faced with a new tragedy and I see hundreds of Facebook statuses and tweets about praying for victims or offering love and hope. While I know these sentiments are nothing but kind and true, I can’t help but to think of the hundreds of tragedies we let slip by each day, just because we aren’t looking.

                

                       I’m in no way saying that it isn’t heart breaking and horrible that people died and were seriously injured in the bomb explosions at the Boston marathon yesterday- I find it upsetting in a way that is almost unfathomable- but I do believe we also need to pay attention to the attacks happening every single day.

                

                        This past weekend 26 people were shot in Chicago. I’m not going to see that number when I turn on CNN, though. I think we as a nation need to learn to care for our citizens no matter where they live, no matter the color of their skin, and no matter how much money they have.

               

                       Some of you may know that I spent a short period of time working in the South side of Chicago a few years ago, in an elementary school. The students there faced tragedy every day, and so many people are unaware.

                       

                       There are so many things we could do better in America. So many people we should and could help. And it shouldn’t take a bomb or a shooting to make us aware of that. We need to work hard to change the things in our country that need changing—we don’t need an invitation, just an open mind and a big heart. Look in the neighborhoods around you. See the inequality, and the work to be done. And do it! Because praying for victims of attacks is nice and good, but it’s not the only way to make change happen.