Things that remind us we are Americans

Abraham Villarreal
3 min readApr 26, 2019
Painting by Melody Allen.

Every time I check the mail, I am reminded about how great it is to be in America. Seems funny, but getting your mail, usually on time, in that little box at the end of your driveway seems like a very American thing.

I was watching a news story on television some time ago, and an immigrant from a third-world country expressed how special she felt as a new American because she received her mail without even thinking about it. We take these things for granted.

How about dialing 911? Not everyone in the world can do it. In about two seconds, we can dial this universal number and get emergency assistance. We don’t have to worry about paying for it or even giving the operator a good reason. Help is on the way. That too feels American.

In America, we get these perks by birth. It would be un-American to ask for help and not get it when you need it. The thought of it seems pretty silly, but our privileges as citizens of this great country come in big and small ways.

Public schools? They are for everyone, and they are in every community. Television sets? Rich and poor have them, and most of us own more than one. Free wifi? Now we’re talking. Before you know…

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Abraham Villarreal

People are interesting. I write about them and what makes them interesting.