Monday, February 25, 2013

day 55- 310 days left!

Sunday- Feb 24th 2013

Meal 1- MF choco chip pancakes 1 tbs sugar free syrup, 2 eggs, 1/2 slice cheese
Meal 2- MF mint choc bar
Meal 3- MF mint choc bar
Meal 4- MF hot cocoa
Meal 5- MFChoc chip cookie smidge milk
Meal 6- 1/2 cup cottage cheese, 2 oz nuts

water...but not enough

As I was shopping at Khols yesterday picking out towels, I met an amazing older lady from Ukraine.  I like to talk to strangers. It's fun.  So I was going back and forth back and forth back and forth between aisles trying to compare the towels.. the colors.. the prices...   and I say to the lady.. Too Many Choices!  and our 10 minute friendship began!

She tells me she was raised under Communism where they had no choices at all what so ever.   She was so sweet. She told me she would stand in line for 2 hours to get one towel that they would give her. No choices.  She said she would stand in another line for 2 hours to get a bra... a random sized bra... and she would have to cut it and sew it to fit her size.... She said there was no interior decorating..  no color choices of walls... no picking the right textured tiles... nada..
When she first came here about 7 years ago she just couldn't believe the choices.  She was shocked when her daughter in law wanted her towels to match for the wedding registry.   She started laughing at one point and I knew what she was about to say.  " But now I match my towels too!  and we both said at the same time, "because I/you can!"   I wanted to give her a big squeeze.  What her eyes must have seen in her lifetime.... what her body had to endure...

So often in America we are so myopic.. 3/4 of the world's population lives in complete poverty.  They live under thin tin roof's made of scraps.... mud huts... no sewage systems.... no running water.. no choices.  This is not meant for us to feel guilty... but for us to truly live a life of gratitude for what we do have and to live a life of simplicity just cuz really?  do we really need all that 'stuff'?   The never satiated human soul... always wanting more..  More food. More stuff. More satisfaction. More pleasure.  It never ends.   O Lord... may you satisfy my soul forever.

Next time you are in the towel aisle or  yogurt aisle or vegetable aisle you never know who are you going to meet.

1 comment:

  1. So true. I remember seeing a blip on the news years ago where they showed a long line of Russian's waiting out in the streets for ONE vegetable! I think of that from time to time. What a blessing for the both of you to have connected right there in the Kohls towel aisle. :)

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