Getting Over Ourselves

I used to complain about having no shoes, until I met a man who had no feet ~ Anonymous


A few days ago I was complaining to my husband about how overwhelming life was. The washing had piled up, the kitchen was a disaster zone, and my fridge was desperately in need of an overhaul. Too many people, including my kids, were making demands of me. I felt bloated and tired and to top it all off, I had absolutely nothing to wear (actually, nothing I felt comfortable in).

Later that day, after tackling a few of my problem areas, I sat down with a cuppa to watch Oprah (as you do when you have too much too do!!!). What a wake-up call! Her show featured members of her audience who were given $1000 to ‘pay it forward’ In a nutshell, the concept of blessing others. One particular lady in the audience decided to help out a single mum living in the Bronx.

As story unfolded with Oprah’s camera’s following this mum around in her apartment, I began to feel ashamed of myself for complaining about my ‘lot in life.’ This woman was doing it tough. She was working full time, supporting three children, living in a tiny partly furnished flat with concrete floors, bare walls, no beds for her kids and a kitchen that was falling apart. We won’t even talk about the cockroach infestation in her pantry – thank God she got some help.

At the end of the show, I switched off the TV, repented of my winging and came to realize that life could be a whole lot worse … so, I just needed to put another load in the washing machine and get over myself.

Nicki P