My Easy Road

I think writing that life is hard right now was enough for me to really examine my environment… so I’m immediately feeling a dose of shame. I miss home and the people I love, but this morning’s ride to work and my time at the school slapped me out of self-pity. I needed a shift in perspective, which is really easy to find here if I look beyond my nose. I watched a woman, old and thin, sweeping trash along the median of the street. A scarf protected her face and her sandals blended into the pavement. Other women were lifting baskets of vegetables onto their heads, and there were a couple of men pulling carts full of bottles and cans down the road. It hit me that I could return to my home at point in time… my cozy home on the river in the mountains. I could go anywhere, really – there are so many options for me. But this is life for these people. They have no choice. They survive by enduring long, hot, exhausting days on concrete. Many of the parents of my students are vendors. They cook chicken over coals on the sidewalk every day, hoping to make enough money to feed their own families. I learned that one of our teachers works as a security guard at the school as well. He returns every night for a six hour shift, rests between six and seven in the morning, and starts his day again with the school bell at 7:25. Many of my students aren’t able to see their parents either – but they are ten, eleven, twelve years old. Mothers and fathers have passed away due to sickness, and some kids have been abandoned. I received a letter today from a girl who said she wants to be more grateful for what she has, but so often she dreams of living with her family. A family of five girls lives on a rooftop. I don’t know hard.
So I will pray for a grateful heart - one that realizes that even though I'm beyond what is comfortable for me, I'm blessed beyond measure.