A lesson from preschool

My daughter is moving to preschool from junior-pre. It's actually the classroom next door from her current one. I had a what they call 'needs and services' meeting with her teacher this morning to go over schedules, general curriculum, activities, any specific things about her personality that I wanted to discuss etc. I told the teacher, sometimes a couple of older kids push or hit her and she doesn't defend herself. The teacher mentioned they do watch out especially for such behavior. They take the kids away by redirecting them into other activities and sometimes talking to them about the effects of their acts, making them think about what they did. And how it can hurt their friends. And she said sometimes when even that doesn't work the boisterous kids are sent to another classroom for a couple of hours, during that time they become uncomfortable and want to get back to their class. She said it's to make them realize that being with their friends is a privilege and they have to acknowledge that. 
That was a wonderful statement, it set me thinking. So many things we take for granted are actually a gift. Being able to see your spouse ( and kids)  every evening is a privilege. There are so many men and women whose spouses are away from them - getting an MBA, finishing up their residency, taking up a job cross country or in another continent in this economy, travelling a lot for work, fighting in Iraq or Afganistan and so on. Being able to sit down for a dinner together, even being able to argue face to face is a privilege. It's not always possible to compare ourselves with the starving in Somalia or the homeless in the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti. But from time to time, it's important to realize what we have , not materialistic pleasures or possessions, but the friends and family, the picnics or bike rides in the free air under the sun, the joys of celebrating birthdays and anniversaries.... I don't mean to get sentimental and start singing the glory of God, it's that - we all have troubles, everyone has problems - but the only way to be happy and enjoy life is to, from time to time think of how fortunate we are . Only when we see ourselves relative to the situations and circumstances of those who are less privileged can we value the people and moments we have. And if we are bitter or sour over mundane things, it helps to pay a visit to the other classroom in our lives for a bit, so we acknowledge and respect what we have.