I opened the front door and welcomed them into my home again. I watched their eyes widen at our Christmas tree heavy with ornaments, the holiday pillows on my sofa and personalized stockings hanging on the mantle,.
My home is hardly a page out of a magazine. While they looked around in wonder, I saw the floor that needed to be swept, the sink full of dishes from a hurried dinner as we rushed to the airport, the air mattress my son would call his bed for the next two weeks because it’s our guest room, the overladen laundry baskets I’d hidden in my bedroom…I saw what I needed to do, what I didn’t have, what I thought was missing. I saw my life.
But as I welcomed my friends from Kenya into our home this week, I was reminded of this quote I’d written across my notepad a few days earlier, “Be thankful for what you have. Your life, no matter how bad you think it is, is someone else’s fairy tale,” Wale Ayeni.
I saw my life through their eyes and immediately saw all I have instead of what I don’t.
From the spray nozzle at the sink, to the Instant Pot on my counter to every convenience and comfort I take for granted on a daily basis, I instantly saw my life in a new light.
It’s our annual perspective check when we have the honor of welcoming the third world into our first and it is exactly what I needed in the middle of this holiday season.
Isn’t this the eye adjustment we need most during this time of the year—just a tweak to the way we see and it all becomes so clear: we have so much to be grateful for–no matter what. So many of our challenges and our problems in this first world are luxuries in the next. It doesn’t mean that we don’t struggle, it just means we need to remember that we get to choose how we go about it. We get to choose gratitude instead of grumbling, calm instead of complaining, praise instead of pouting.
As we carried their bags upstairs, I couldn’t help but think about what my friends witness– and have lived—on a daily basis: unimaginable choices young mothers have made for survival as they lead the Kenyan side of Mercy House, oppressive and hopeless poverty, and suffering. So much suffering.
Because our life, no matter how bad we think it is, is someone else’s fairy tale.
Be grateful for what you have. It’s more than you think.
So true. Thank you for helping us keep perspective.
Thank you. This is just the reminder that I needed. Recently someone talked about what was apparently his worst nightmare. His son has autism and he said “He could be like some kids- unable to talk, in a wheelchair, can’t feed himself or give himself drinks… I should be thankful.” Little did that dad know he had just perfectly described my precious son. I have used that situation to fuel my own pity parties fairly often. I must be justified in a pity party because I take total care of my beautiful 10 year old. Yet I h ave 2 healthy daughters, a beautiful home, a wonderful husband, and about 10 million other amazing blessings. Thank you, Kristen.
Really true that no matter how bad situation we are in there is something good lies in it. Staying hopeful at every point of our live will only led to a prosperous future. Thanks for sharing.
Perspective, we recently downgraded our house in preparation to move overseas to a poorer nation, more to get our children half ready. It becomes so apparent how entitled and how much we live the dream for someone else when our ‘step down’ still leaves us in an environment less than 5 percent of the world lives in.
I know this is an old post but it is important to remember, even when we think we are sacrificing, we are often living someone elses dream.
This post hit home for me! I remember watching a special on BET online magazine where they shared a bet phone number for people to call in and share their own stories of resilience and gratitude-it was so inspiring. Just like your experience, it made me realize how much I take for granted every day. Thank you for reminding us that even our “messy” lives are full of blessings. Sometimes, all it takes is seeing through someone else’s eyes to appreciate what we have!