Today as I was laying in bed doing my usual social media browse (before I actually manage to get myself up), I stumbled upon a video that really hit me hard. Lately there have been lots of awesome videos going around Facebook, but this one in particular stood out to me.
This video shows people in third world countries stating some of our "first world problems", such as "I hate when I leave my charger downstairs". As I laid in my warm, comfortable bed, browsing the internet on my iPad, texting a friend on my cell phone, I couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of selfishness. How many times during the day do we complain about these "problems" we have, not realizing that they really aren't problems at all? I'm guilty. Really, really guilty. I complain about how I "have nothing to wear", about how slow our internet is, how my phone is always freezing, and how I have to hand-wash the things the dishwasher missed. It's ridiculous, really.
Eric and I try and help charities as much as we can. There is nothing, and I mean nothing, better than the feeling you get when serving others. We can do our absolute best to help those around us, but what I've come to realize is, that since we will never be able to help everyone, the next best thing we can do is to truly be grateful for what we have been blessed with. We have a roof over our heads, clothes on our backs, and food to eat. We have nothing to complain about.
I always try and remember that no matter how hard I may think things are, there is always someone less fortunate than I am. This video was a perfect example of that.
For the next week, I am challenging myself. I am going to fully appreciate everything I have, and make a diligent effort to forget about all of the "problems" I may have. I'll report back at the end of the week.
My hope is that we may all learn to really, truly appreciate the things we have been blessed with, take nothing for granted, and do as much as we can to help those less fortunate than we are.
