While I am working on my next blog post about impact investing and social entrepreneurship I thought I would share something a friend of mine sent me this morning:
“I am thankful for…
The taxes I pay because it means that I am employed.
The clothes that fit a little too snug because it means I have enough to eat.
My shadow who watches me work because it means I am out in the sunshine.
A lawn that has to be mowed, windows that have to be washed, and gutters that need fixing because it means I have a home.
The spot I find at the far end of the parking lot because it means I am capable of walking.
All the complaining I hear about government because it means we have freedom of speech.
The lady behind me in church who sings off key because it means that I can hear.
The huge piles of laundry and ironing because it means my loved ones are nearby.
The alarm that goes off in the early morning because it means that I am alive.”
I live in a somewhat torn-down house with a group of fellow Americans and I feel like we are always complaining about something (crappy internet, bugs everywhere, water turned off most nights, etc.). These petty complaints fill me with guilt when I remember that 10 minutes away from my house are 8-person families who live in 1-room huts with dirt floors and no electricity. 
They worry about where their next meals will come from and if they can afford to send their children to school. A bad storm or minor illness can financially bankrupt the entire family. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the quote above because those are all things I have complained about at one time or another. Living in Guatemala has taught me to be thankful for many of the things I have spent my entire life taking for granted: a roof over my head, running water, electricity, enough food to eat, access to doctors and medicine, an education. I am a little more than half-way through with my fellowship and I look forward to continuing my search for innovative ways to help the thousands of Guatemalan’s in need gain access to the things so many of us take for granted.
They worry about where their next meals will come from and if they can afford to send their children to school. A bad storm or minor illness can financially bankrupt the entire family. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the quote above because those are all things I have complained about at one time or another. Living in Guatemala has taught me to be thankful for many of the things I have spent my entire life taking for granted: a roof over my head, running water, electricity, enough food to eat, access to doctors and medicine, an education. I am a little more than half-way through with my fellowship and I look forward to continuing my search for innovative ways to help the thousands of Guatemalan’s in need gain access to the things so many of us take for granted. 
