something I am grateful for today

[johncomic]

I was in the grocery store, and for some reason stopped for a second and really looked at everything around me. And I was stunned at how... much... food there was. Rows of it, piles of it as far as the eye could see. And I felt like My God, there's enough for everybody...

I can't help but be grateful for this, when I think of all the times and places where food has been scarce... that I am fortunate enough, blessed enough to live in a time and place where food is so easy to get, is always so easy to get, for me and everyone around me. It's actually sorta humbling, somehow...

Comments

[ginsu.livejournal.com]

This idea constantly strikes me too.

If you pay attention on Facebook, you will find that a huge fraction of status updates pertain directly to the exciting new food people are cooking or buying. We privileged modern rich Westerners just don't know how good we have it.

[brandifer.livejournal.com]

I understand completely; it's unconcionable that anyone in our country - or some others - could go hungry.

The relative comfort level of even the lower-middle class people in our country is something we're having a very hard time getting across to Alida. She has always had more than enough - food and everything else - and doesn't get why Drew and I get so upset about things like a gallon of milk forgotten on the counter to spoil, or fresh fruit left to spoil. Or why when she carelessly lets something get ruined or broken - be it a book, an article of clothing or even a computer - that we FREAK OUT at her statement "just buy a new one".

She hasn't always been like this, we started when she was very young working with her to understand the value of money and the work that goes into getting it, but the older she gets... Ugh.

There are reasons she didn't get a job this summer, but she will next summer. If I have anything to do with it, she'll be doing something that includes contact with the disadvantaged, of which we have plenty here.

HUG!