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opinion
Enjoy the little
things
People never really
appreciate how nice the small things in life are until they're
gone.
The Northern Alliance
has swept through numerous cities across Afghanistan, liberating
its inhabitants from the clutches of Taliban strongholds.
Even in Kabul,
The Associated Press has reported that Taliban troops deserted
the capital Monday. Alliance military forces, who were largely
outnumbered according to CNN reports, still managed to reclaim
the city with a stunning series of victories.
When Kabul residents
awoke the next day, they greeted each other and Northern Alliance
soldiers with shouts of congratulations, honking cars and
ringing bicycle bells, AP reports stated.
Anyway, back to
appreciating life's little gifts. In the small town of Taloqan
? newly freed from Taliban control ? Monday was a busy day
for everyone.
The busiest place
in the whole city was Amon's Barbershop, where an almost endless
line of men gathered to have their beards shaved off.
"Tomorrow,
I'm going to shave off my own beard," said an exhausted
Amon Amonullah, the owner and barber, as stated in a Daily
Breeze article.
Amid all of the
domestic strife and turmoil that is flipping their country
upside down, the first thing these Afghanis do after dethroning
Taliban control is to return to doing and enjoying the little
things that make life seem normal again.
A lesson may certainly
be learned here.
For the United
States, our times are not exactly the most stable in recent
memory either, but the Chef says that those Afghanis shaving
their beards off were on to something: Enjoy the ordinary,
yet pleasurable stuff life has to offer.
So many good things
are out there that, when recognized, they can divert attention
away from ceaseless news about plane crashes, the war, anthrax
discoveries and abhorrent midterms.
Try appreciating
things like professional sports or even Michael Jackson's
30th Anniversary special on CBS on Monday. Well, on second
thought, maybe just appreciate sports ? that should suffice.
Little things,
like watching the Lakers remain undefeated, watching the high-flying
Clippers or watching Lamar Odom cry in front of the whole
world at a press conference, can brighten your day easily.
These are just
three examples of the types of things out there that sports
can provide to make life seem a little bit more normal.
Remember, take
a hint from the Afghanis. Don't hesitate to appreciate or
enjoy something before it's gone.
Ben Dimapindan
is a print journalism major at Cal State Long Beach.
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