Thankful for the Little Things

by Kendyl Druffel

 Almost every day when I was little my parents would tell me, “be thankful for the little things in life.” As a child I always took this wise piece of advice for granted, until I came to college. Being away from home for almost two months has taught me so much, but has reminded me to stay true to my roots. Staying true to my roots has helped me significantly with the transition from a high school graduating class of ten to an undergraduate population of twenty-five thousand. I thought that I would have a really tough time making the transition from a small community to a campus where I have classes that outnumber the population of my home town, but that was not the case. The first day I stepped on campus for Fall term I knew I was at my home away from home. So, being home has meant that I have still stuck to my core values, especially being thankful for the little things.

When I look around the campus of Oregon State University I am constantly reminded of little things to be thankful for. These little things have made this first term so much easier and I am incredibly grateful for them. So here is my list of the little things that I am thankful for this first term of my college career.

1. Making new friends every day.
2. Staying in touch with my friends back home.
3. Going through recruitment and finding another group of sisters.
4. Getting messages and snapchats from all my DYW sisters!!!
5. The vibrant colors of the trees. Yay for fall!
6. Living in the Best College Town in the Pac-12 conference.
7. Late night froyo trips with my friends.
8. Long phone calls with my grandma.
9. Care packages from my family and friends.
10. Football games, Go Beavs.
11. My 8 o’clock classes, yes, I said 8 o’clock.
12. The Starbucks in my dorm.
13. My rainboots, it rains a lot in Oregon.
14. The best roommate ever!
15. The endless amounts of candy from Halloween.

Making a list of things that I am thankful for has helped me cope with homesickness, but it has also given a greater appreciation for the smaller things in life that I forget to stop and think about. My roots have made me who I am, but now I get to add my own experiences to them. The age-old adage, “stop and smell the roses,” still rings true in everything that I do. I encourage everyone to stop and smell the roses and consider the little things in life that they are thankful for!