#94

lately i cannot help but contemplate
my life and the
things that i have come to
comfortably surround myself with.

for the past 19
and some years, i have
come accustomed to comfort.
obviously, as a young girl, living
in North America, i (a face among millions
of other young girls living
as i am), i have
come to acquire the need for certain
things. we will call these things
wants.

i want a better car.
i want to move out.
i want new jeans.
i want new makeup.
oh, what's that,
a new kitten?
i want it.
i want a shower.
i want a bed.
i want a roof over my head.

if i wanted, i could have four showers (all in the same day, or
maybe just one really really long shower, that would
use so much water,
it would be like four showers),
a very large bed,
or even 12 pairs of jeans, instead of the seven
that currently take up space in my closet that
seems to burst on a nearly weekly basis.

step back.
when did i begin to allow
such simple and frugal possessions
define who i am.
why am i so easily pleased by
new clothing and accessories,
when there are people 28 hours away that
wear the same thing for days
and days
and days.
if they wear anything at all.
i mean, i understand, that being a young girl living in North
America, there is a certain 'social standard' that has
to be up kept,
and that here, it is generally unaccented
by society to walk around for days and days
without washing your hair, or your jeans, or your
jacket.
it may even be unacceptable to wear the same jacket for
several winters in a row.

this i understand.

however, at what point did i stop taking the time
to step back.
at what point did i begin to loose sight of how lucky i am simply to have a
family that loves me, a job that i enjoy,
and a constant supply of
running water (inside my house)
food
clothing
etc.

lets take it back to the basics.