Wednesday, August 11, 2010

EVERY SINGLE BREATH

As I was having my coffee this morning, a photo in the local paper caught my attention.



Normally I just skim over the world news page - it's always all just horrible. Murders, war casualties, celebrities doing bad things. But this photo struck me. I looked at the faces of the people and tried to imagine the horror of their situation. I tried to put myself in their place.

Every day I take so much for granted. Not just the basics - food, clean water, clothing - but also the extravagances. Things like air conditioning, WiFi speed and $10/jar almond butter.

If I hit a red light on the way from my expensive health club to my comfortable townhouse, I bitch. If Facebook won't load in the first three seconds, I get impatient. You get the point.

This photo made me think about how unfair the world can be. One minute, these folks in China were probably on their way home from school or to the market when WHAM! their worlds were thrown upside down.

In an instant they went from worrying about being late and missing the first scene at the movies - to watching their house tumble down and wondering if their 4 year-old child managed to get out alive.

Life is so precious. I wish I could remember that more often, and be grateful for every breath I am allowed as a healthy person, living a comfortable existence.

No comments: