if i never saw any different; i would never know how blessed i am

one of the reasons that i'm grateful to work in Juarez, MX is because i get to see a complete different way of life than my own. this makes me aware of my own blessings at the moments when i expect it least. i catch myself stopping in my tracks and being grateful for things i have never looked twice at before. it comes as an overwhelming feeling of gratefulness when i realize that i feel safe driving with my windows down on a beautiful day or as a moment of clarity as i step foot onto a tile bathroom floor and realize that floor in itself is a blessing because it is tile and not dirt. i am becoming aware of all that i have and it forces me to view the normal and mundane details of my life as blessings. i am becoming aware that almost everything i thought was a "need" is truly a "luxury." i would never realize that in a world where everyone around me shares the exact same conveniences as myself. we never truly know what we have until it's gone.

my list of awareness keeps growing...

1. even though i might have to wait for a ridiculously long amount of time to see a doctor/dentist, i am aware that i have health care that is amazing and clean


2. i can drive around with my windows down and i don't have to be afraid of being car jacked or making sure my doors are locked when i'm driving (most of the time :) and i'm not afraid of getting pulled over by police that are corrupt


3. even though it's a million degrees, i have air conditioning or a fan


4. when it's freezing, heat is just the flick of a switch away


5. i know now that just shopping in stores is a luxury instead of buying from the street vendor or neighbor who hung their clothes up to sell next door


6. $10 for a shirt is a good deal to me yet i just met a lady that's been waiting 5 years for a $15 fan


7. i have clean water coming out of a tap WHENEVER i want it and people are literally dying because they don't have this convenience


8. a fridge is not mandatory and i am so blessed to have a place to keep my food cold and to have food in it always


9. it's not necessarily time to eat just because it's morning, noon, and night if there is no food to be eaten. to me being hungry is only a matter of finding or buying food rather than going hungry because i don't have the means.


10. going to public school for free or going to school at all really is a privilege


11. most of the world doesn't have the option of deciding what they want to be when they grow up


12. my cell phone really isn't a need when 50% of the world has never made or received a phone call


13. water, clothes, shoes, food, opportunities, education, health care and traveling are all things i will NEVER fully understand how blessed i am to have


14. an education has opened doors that some would give everything for yet we have NO IDEA how much opportunity and possibility we encompass within us that we waste


15. my citizenship here was free and i've done nothing to deserve it, yet people die daily trying to cross onto this soil


16. to me a 12hr/day job that only pays $120/month is illegal rather than a blessing


17. i am not fearful of a corrupt govt. that seems hopeless and inhumane


18. i have freedom of religion and don't fear for my life for practicing my faith


there is a lot we are fighting for in this country that we view as unfair or that could be better. but i encourage you to realize how much we do have. i didn't write this with the 4th of July in mind, in fact i just realized it was this weekend. but since it is this weekend, whether you find yourself watching fireworks, or grilling out with friends and family, in that moment when you stop and celebrate our country, i encourage you to realize that what we are celebrating encompasses the entire life that we know; and we will never realize what that truly means.


















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