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In just a few hours, 2015 will be gone and a new year will be ushered in. Despite the ups and downs that happened in your life, at work, in your country and the rest of the world, there are still many things, however mundane that brought people some cheer. Life is like that, there’s good and there’s bad. They are a tandem, with one balancing the other. Oftentimes, it is not good to dwell on the bad, although for sure, there are lessons to be learned from them as well. But for most people, it is beneficial to focus on the positive things, which can energize, inspire and uplift. So let’s take a look at some of things that make you thankful for in 2015.
Health
Isn’t this one of the things to be thankful for – that you remained healthy throughout the year? Not everyone is blessed with good health, naturally. There are people who have to go through tears and buckets of sweat (and aching muscles) just to keep fit and healthy. Others have to spend a stack of cash to follow a diet or stick to a very strict eating regimen. If you and your family are healthy, give thanks for it.
Upward trend in the U.S. economy
Interest rates in the U.S. had been zero since recession hit the country in 2008. Now things are rosier, with the Federal Reserve announcing on December 16 that federal funds will have an interest rate hike between 0.25 percent and 0.50 percent. This is an indication that the U.S. economy is enjoying steady growth.
Science
There are many developments in science and space exploration. One of the most significant is the flyby of New Horizons space probe on the icy planet, Pluto. The probe was sent out in 2006 and it sent back the world’s first close-up look of the planet last July 2015. Despite the budget cuts and the political brouhaha, this is a feat that shows the can-do attitude of the scientific community to have the probe built and sent out to space.
Diplomacy
There might still be some uncertain times in many hot spots in the world but let’s be thankful for some inroads in the field of diplomacy. A marquee event is that diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States have normalized after five decades. There is also the international deal between the world powers and Iran regarding its nuclear program and the positive outlook the country exhibits on the possibility of the lifting of international sanctions.
Poverty Reduction
Poverty is widely spread worldwide. But there are some promising notes. The World Bank said that based on prevailing trends, it is projected that poverty will be lower than 10 percent of the population across the globe. The UN reports the same trend, with the poverty line this year falling to 836 million compared to the 1.75 billion that was registered in 1999.
Climate accord
It may have taken six years for it to happen but at the conclusion of the 2015 Climate Change Summit, 195 countries endorsed the accord to limit climate change, with President Barack Obama labelling the historic global conference as a “turning point” for the entire world.
Same-sex marriage
It used to be that approval of same-sex marriage in the U.S. was done by state. But the Supreme Court of the United States had made a landmark decision that allowed same-sex marriage to be implemented throughout the nation, making it legal in all the 50 states in the U.S. and providing equal protection for all sexes.
These are just some of the things to be thankful for. They may be global but we are sure that there are so many good things that happened in your life that make you feel blessed. Would you care to share them with us?
Likewise, we’d like to extend a heartfelt greeting to all of you. Thank you for supporting Day Translations. We’ll endeavor to give you more interesting things to read and continue to provide the best language service there is.