{"id":3379,"date":"2014-05-21T00:01:42","date_gmt":"2014-05-21T04:01:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wanderlust.com\/?p=3379"},"modified":"2014-05-21T00:01:42","modified_gmt":"2014-05-21T04:01:42","slug":"im-thankful-star-wars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wanderlust.com\/ro\/journal\/im-thankful-star-wars\/","title":{"rendered":"I’m Thankful for Star Wars"},"content":{"rendered":"

At this year\u2019s Wanderlust Sydney, \u2018lusters from Down Under sure had a lot to be grateful for. The Project Thankful<\/a> tree was proof of it, its branches bowing low to the weight of a hundred little cards, each offering a glimpse of the yogis\u2019 gratitude.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m thankful for\u2026\u201d My health and the ability to travel the world with my best friend. Yoga + sex. This sunny day. My beautiful family. <\/i>The answers varied, but, like my own, they all spoke of big things, important things. The type of stuff that would, and did, jump to the front of your mind if you were asked to think about what in the world you were most thankful for.<\/p>\n

As I went to hang my card on the tree\u2014\u201cI\u2019m thankful for being able to practice yoga in my favorite city in the world\u201d\u2014I overheard a little boy and his mother filling out their own.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoney, what are you thankful for?\u201d asked the mom, and unlike the adults who stood by the tree mulling over what was important enough to write down, the boy didn\u2019t hesitate.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m thankful for Star Wars!\u201d he yelled out, his answer drawing laughter from all of us huddled around the tree. Of all the cards that hung sparkling beneath the Sydney sunshine, it was his that stood out the most. But why?<\/p>\n

Later on in the day, I was still thinking about it. To an adult, expressing gratitude for Star Wars might seem silly. No matter how heroic the journey of Luke Skywalker or how wise the words of Yoda, a grown-up mind would probably gravitate to life\u2019s more serious stuff: good health and healthy food on the table, good friends and close family, a place to call home.<\/p>\n

But, to a five-year-old, Star Wars is, well, pretty awesome. So, why not be thankful for it? Of course, it\u2019s important to acknowledge the biggest of our blessings, but, the little boy\u2019s answer made me realize that serious<\/i> isn\u2019t a prerequisite for significant. <\/i>Sometimes, it\u2019s the silly things that bring the most meaning to our lives, whether it\u2019s Star Wars Episode 5 or a hearty, hiccupping belly-laugh with a best friend.<\/p>\n

With that in mind, my four-month stint in Indonesia, Thailand and Australia, which is now coming to an end, looks a lot different. I\u2019ve learned to be grateful for the big and the little, the good and the bad, and everything in-between.<\/p>\n

For example, waking up with a hangover from hell in Thailand\u2019s torturous 100-degree heat, and without any water to drink, made me god-awfully grateful for the clean tap water back home. And, since leaving, Thailand I\u2019ve been especially thankful for Sydney\u2019s fast WiFi, which makes it much easier for me to get my work done. But, I will be forever grateful Bali\u2019s lack of it, which offered me a glimpse of the mental tranquility that comes when you replace your nightly Netflix fix with a good paperback.<\/p>\n

When I board my plane back to New York this week, I\u2019ll be grateful that the passport in my backpack is an American one, which ranks second in the world in terms of travel freedom and garners access to 172 different countries. I\u2019m certainly grateful that in my 22 years I\u2019ve already been able to visit a handful of them. In doing so, I\u2019ve realized there are a million little things within that big one\u2014the opportunity to travel\u2014to be grateful for:<\/p>\n