A Perspective Kick in the Pants

3 months ago my Internet died and I dropped off the face of the blogging-planet, and although I am usually fairly optimistic and grateful for my place in the worlds, I have recently lost sight of that a bit forgetting to be thankful, helpful and have been generally wallowing in a self-induced pity party. I even stopped writing.

A couple of days ago I got that kick-in-the-pants perspective injection that I have been missing.

I had stuck my headphones in and was listening to Ed Sheerens A Team on the iPhone as I walked out to the car to pick up the kids.

I was in a generally foul mood and cursing the fact that the gear box in the car has got something seriously wrong with it that I can’t afford to fix which means I can’t go over 40km and as such I can't drive it any further than the kid’s bus stop.

I was cursing the fact that I haven’t heard back from the bank about a somewhat desperately needed loan we are waiting on and also cursing the very minor first world problem that I love this song but have to take my head phones off to drive so I can hear the cars crazy rev pattern.

As I approached the car I thought to myself, ‘why does this shit always happen to me? I just wish I could know that everything will work itself out’. I slumped into the driver’s seat, turned the key and started hearing double. Huh? Is my friggin iPod broken too?! As I pulled out my earphones, I suddenly realised that my iPod was not broken and my most minor problem had self-resolved. ‘A Team’ blasted through the car radio. I laughed out loud at my pessimism, maybe that was a sign.

I crawled to the bus stop and pulled out my phone again, oh wow, I actually had 2 bars of 3G reception! On a whim I looked up Eden Riley’s blog (I haven’t read a blog since the Internet died.) Then I saw she had been in India.

WTF? – I scrolled down to discover that Eden has been busy doing the world vision thing again, this time in India! How bizarre, a country I don’t tend to give a second thought to and yet only last night I watched a movie called “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” which is based there and that morning read a magazine article on it.

As I read the words and stared at the pictures as my heart stopped just a little bit as I adjusted my life perspectives.

I had a flashback to another movie I had watched last time my Internet had been down for an extended period about education in the poorest parts of Africa and remembered how the day after I had seen that movie, I had discovered Eden was in Africa.

I think I definitely got my sign. I picked up the kids and we came home where they ran straight inside and took up their positions on the couch.

I stared at them for a minute, each one of them completely absorbed in technology, iPods, iPad’s and TV not a thought as to whether they would go to sleep hungry or cold, thoughts about marrying for anything but love never crossing their minds and certainly  no risk of dying young from preventable diseases.

We are so lucky, to have been born where we are, to be given choices, rights and opportunities the fact that as a women I can even apply for a bank loan is something to be thankful for. So many people, so many children on our Earth don’t.

Thank you to World Vision, thank you to all the wonderful people out there like Eden who are spreading the word – it is so inspiring to SEE the difference these programs are making to people’s lives.

If you are in a position to donate this Christmas, head over to the world vision website by clicking the link to the top left of the page, and there you can make a one off donation or even sponsor a child, every cent counts.