October 17, 2009

Be Grateful of What You Have

There are times when I dwell on the things I don't have or can't have and fret and sulk about it to a point that sometimes I feel self-pity, it's sickening. I know that it is not healthy to do so but it gets tough not to do just that when times are really rough and you feel really inferior. It doesn't boil from lack of self-esteem but from lack of not having what you crave. To doubly work hard to achieve it while others seem to have it real easy is just disheartening. We all call it the Keeping up with the Joneses Syndrome. Who can't relate to that right?

I was feeling exactly this way when we were up in Huntersville applying our own Guerilla Tactics for a business venture that my hubby is planning to establish in that area. Life since last year has been tough which got rougher due to the bad economy. It was hard to keep a happy perspective when you're scrambling to make finances meet most of the time. Keeping up with the Joneses is nil.

So we went about the day then took a short breather at a nearby Target store. As we were heading towards the checkout aisle to pay for our little indulgences, my eyes caught the figure of this young lady in one of the cashier's booth just next to where we ended. She was unsteadily maneuvering the grocery bag on the bag pedestal while hastily scanning the items infront of her to keep her line up to pace. I must have been watching her so intently that she noticed me looking. She looked at me blankly. No twinkle in her eyes. Not even a sense of care nor a smile. At that point she's probably thinking "here goes another nuts". I looked away embarrassed. But that didn't stop me from secretly eying her again. I was mesmerized with profound admiration.

No, I was not attracted to her. I was attracted to her will-power. This lady got only one arm!I was dumb-founded. Here I was feeling blue about my life and here was someone going against all odd to function efficiently to get on with life. How ironic! I do believe I was meant to see her...

A gentle reminder that we are all blessed in different ways but we just don't see it. All our cares has made us blind. I was blind. But she will be a constant wake up call for me from now on. Her image is etched in my mind and will always think of her when I feel worthless. It may or may not work but there's never any harm in trying.

Noteworthy:

Jessica Cox
Born without arms, Jessica now flies airplanes, drives cars using her feet. The first person without arms in the American Tae Kwon-Do Association to get a black belt and the first woman pilot in aviation history to fly with her feet. A degree in Psychology and is pursuing a career as an international motivational speaker!

 

Barbie Guerra
Lost her arms when she was two. Her story was featured in Ripley's. A mom turned body builder.






What about you? Do you have any poignant experience such as this? And How did it affect you?

4 comments:

  1. Wow...you got it. It's funny how often we get these moments...and how often so many people ignore those messages....

    I can't recount a specific moment like this...I'm a little tired right now, but I know it happens often...I know it happens often.

    We'll all slip into the poor me mentality once and a while...but those of us who look outside ourselves can see how truly lucky we are, and can be inspired by others who have overcome more than we.

    Love this post...

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  2. Its great to put things into perspective like that. Not everyone can. The fact that you can consider what its like to be in someone else's shoes who may be at a lesser advantage than you is a fine character trait.
    I have an Autistic son and so I am always aware of those who are handicapped in any way.
    Its not to say that we should not strive to be all we can or feel guilty about it while there are others much less fortunate, but we should always keep things in perspective and remember to consider and show compassion to those we meet in our lives especially the ones less fortunate than ourselves.
    Great post

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  3. Great post, Maricris! It is often so easy to forget the positives in our life and focus on what we don't have. The time i was most aware of this was when we were in India and someone tore into a cake i had thrown out. The cake, which i considered too stale, was in a freezer ziplock bag and the person hadn't opened the bag - they tore through that thick plastic from the middle.

    It was definitely an eye opening moment.

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  4. You are so right about being happier with what we have. So many people have to overcome so much more. Words to live by...

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