by Melissa Stilley
Life is tough. There are ups and downs. Often we fail to realize just how blessed we truly are. In today’s world we tend to take things for granted – food, clean water, hot showers, soft beds, transportation, electricity, an education. Most of us have never had to go without any of these things for more than a day or two, and then only when a winter storm made them temporarily unavailable. When you begin thinking that life is just unbearably tough, and are thinking of the things that you "want" but don't have, stop and think of those who don’t have what they "need" - the basic necessities that we take for granted every day. Did you know…
· Only 8% of the world has a car…others must rely on public transportation or walk everywhere they go.
· 40% of the world’s population lacks basic sanitation…not only are there no Lysol wipes handy, but there is no disposal system for garbage and excrement, and in many cases no indoor toilet facilities.
· Over 1 billion people (that’s a 1 followed by 9 zeros) do not have clean, safe water to drink or to cook with…what they have is dirty and often contains contaminants or bacteria.
· 800 million people will not eat today.
· Every 3 seconds, someone somewhere in the world dies of hunger.
· Only 1% of people in the world have a college education, and many don’t even have a high school education. As a matter of fact, there are many people in the world without even an elementary education.
· Americans spend more on garbage bags every year than 50% of the world’s population spends on all goods annually.
· Over 2 billion people in this world have no electricity. They do without the conveniences that most of us are accustomed to – lights, running water, heat and air conditioning, a stove or microwave to cook with, a refrigerator to keep food from spoiling, etc.
· Only 1% of the world has a computer…if you are reading this online right now, be thankful for an advantage most of us do not stop to think of.
· Between 750,000 and 2 million people are homeless in America right now – and increasingly more of the homeless population are families. Imagine sleeping under a bridge, freezing in the cold, scrounging or begging for food, not knowing from one day to the next if you will survive. Or if your children will.
Now…take a moment to pause and reflect. Think back over your day, your week, your month, even your year. Did you wake up in a bed, or even on the couch, this morning? Be thankful for the mattress you slept on, even if it may have been a little firmer or softer than you like. Have you eaten fresh, unspoiled food at least once a day this week? Be thankful…it may not have been the steak or haute cuisine you would have chosen, but it nourished your body and filled your stomach. Did you have to pay a power bill this month? Okay, it’s no one’s favorite thing, but it means that you were better off than over 2 billion of the world’s people…you had electricity and the wonderful things that go with it. Have you lived another year? Be grateful, there are those who didn’t. Every day brings challenges and we don't always have everything that we "want", but if you stop and look you will almost always find something to be thankful for…whether it be something as simple as a flower growing through the cracks in the sidewalk that brightens your day, the hug of a loved one that reminds you that you are cherished, that bite of sinfully sweet chocolate brownie that so many have never experienced, or the fact that you have the things you "need". Go, be happy, and don’t forget to be thankful for all the little things in life…and the big one’s that might not cross your mind every day.
Be blessed and have a Merry Christmas!
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