September News
The grass is always greener. How many times have you heard that expression before? We are truly some of the luckiest people in the world, living in America during this time (political jokes aside). Even when it seems like our problems are more challenging then everyone we know in our network, if we only step back and see the big picture we see how we take so many things for granted.
780 million people in the world don’t have clean water to drink.
795 million people go to bed hungry because they can’t afford enough food to eat.
It is easy to get caught up in our own self-involved world and get frustrated when it seems things aren’t going our way. It happens to everyone, even the people who seem they have it all.
I was recently on a flight coming home from recruiting at a career fair in Virginia. The man in the seat next to me explained he had two kids and he always wanted to be home with them. I was jealous of him because he seemed to have it “all;” a wife, a few kids, and likely a very lovely place to call home. He asked about my traveling, and any recent vacations I had. I explained a trip I was able to take with some friends overseas and he kept asking me for more details. You can imagine my surprise when he enthusiastically told me that I “seemed to have it all because I could go on adventures on a whim.” It’s true; I have a lot of free time because my love life is stalled and I have a great job. However; I would give anything to have something to go home to at the end of a trip (or come with me during a trip). But sitting next to someone who has exactly that, I see that he wants just what I have. How interesting.
The moral is to live in the moment and be happy with whatever you have. Everyone has their own circumstances that include highs and lows. EVERYONE is going through something. Maybe they are having a great month, where everything seems to be great. Life isn’t always like that, and trust me, there will also be lows. How you deal with these highs and lows build your character and if you do it right, make you better.
One way to try and have more highs than lows is to help others. Help others you know, and help even those you do not know. When others are down, lift them up! When they are doing well, celebrate with them! Being a part of someone else’s life helps you experience your own life through a different lens. Maybe you’ll better appreciate the blessings in your own life. Maybe you’ll be able to celebrate good times with just one more person. That’s part of why I love Chicktime so much- we get to be a part of our community that we would never otherwise interact with. There are great kids at Casa who are getting their feet off the ground and going through their own highs and lows. And there are amazing volunteers who also have a story, if only you ask.
As you can see, we had a BLAST playing laser tag with the kids this week through Equinox. What a great organization and what a fun time with the kids and volunteers. The food was excellent, the kids were so excited to participate and the volunteers really made an impact. I already can’t wait for next week- it’s October, so we’ll have a Halloween party! Hope to see you there.
Count your blessings, always.
Melissa
