Savannah Grace's Blog - Posts Tagged "grateful"
Don't Lose Sight
You can find this story on http://www.watkinstravel.blogspot.nl/ to read with photos.
Don't Lose Sight:
Author Note: Kees is pronounced Case, rhymes with race.
It’s extremely important that awareness is brought towards the suffering of those less fortunate and to try in every way possible to help those in need. But it’s easy to confuse the main stream media coverage of hunger crisis with the average African population. There are 54 countries in Africa and I don’t feel it is one giant continent of fear, misery or suffering. Within the 37 African countries I’ve visited, the majority of people were friendly, hospitable and joked amongst each other.
Honestly, there are parts of their lives that I am jealous of, one of the main things being their huge families and respect for elders. Everyone has a hundred friends in the street, they know their neighbours and trust their community to protect them. Not once have I felt threatened or unsafe walking the streets in the day or at night. I feel less protected with my cellphone and “911” in Europe than I do with all the women and children outside running around, drinking tea, playing board games and sharing meals at night here. Kieta fled his African homeland with the preconceived notion that he was going to “the land of wealth and happiness” but instead found bitter cold; the hospitality and warm friendship he was used to was suddenly gone. Once our houses are built, I don’t doubt for a second that he will be moving back to Africa.
Traveling has taught me that we do not need all of those materialistic things we think are so important. As long as the essentials are provided, people are more than capable of finding happiness in simplicity. People’s opinions of themselves are often mirrored by what others say and think about them, which is why it’s hard not to compete in a materialistic world.
Competing with our families to be bigger and better should never happen. We should be helping each other up and standing together; we already have way more than we need. As far as I’m concerned, that is a fact. I know it’s unrealistic to expect people to suddenly downgrade their houses, flush their iPhones and sell their cars, but if there is just one message I can get across it’s to look at what you do have and at least be grateful. Don’t take for granted or lose touch with what is truly important in your life.
It’s impossible to be grateful 24/7 (unless you’re Mom, of course) and I constantly struggle with it, perhaps because I, of all people, should know better. I’m guilty of getting caught up in this circle again and losing sight of what's truly important. This life has been a gift for me and to forget that would be an insult. I strive to be better and try to remember how it is when living a simpler life, especially after a trip like this.
Savannah Grace
Don't Lose Sight:
Author Note: Kees is pronounced Case, rhymes with race.
It’s extremely important that awareness is brought towards the suffering of those less fortunate and to try in every way possible to help those in need. But it’s easy to confuse the main stream media coverage of hunger crisis with the average African population. There are 54 countries in Africa and I don’t feel it is one giant continent of fear, misery or suffering. Within the 37 African countries I’ve visited, the majority of people were friendly, hospitable and joked amongst each other.
Honestly, there are parts of their lives that I am jealous of, one of the main things being their huge families and respect for elders. Everyone has a hundred friends in the street, they know their neighbours and trust their community to protect them. Not once have I felt threatened or unsafe walking the streets in the day or at night. I feel less protected with my cellphone and “911” in Europe than I do with all the women and children outside running around, drinking tea, playing board games and sharing meals at night here. Kieta fled his African homeland with the preconceived notion that he was going to “the land of wealth and happiness” but instead found bitter cold; the hospitality and warm friendship he was used to was suddenly gone. Once our houses are built, I don’t doubt for a second that he will be moving back to Africa.
Traveling has taught me that we do not need all of those materialistic things we think are so important. As long as the essentials are provided, people are more than capable of finding happiness in simplicity. People’s opinions of themselves are often mirrored by what others say and think about them, which is why it’s hard not to compete in a materialistic world.
Competing with our families to be bigger and better should never happen. We should be helping each other up and standing together; we already have way more than we need. As far as I’m concerned, that is a fact. I know it’s unrealistic to expect people to suddenly downgrade their houses, flush their iPhones and sell their cars, but if there is just one message I can get across it’s to look at what you do have and at least be grateful. Don’t take for granted or lose touch with what is truly important in your life.
It’s impossible to be grateful 24/7 (unless you’re Mom, of course) and I constantly struggle with it, perhaps because I, of all people, should know better. I’m guilty of getting caught up in this circle again and losing sight of what's truly important. This life has been a gift for me and to forget that would be an insult. I strive to be better and try to remember how it is when living a simpler life, especially after a trip like this.
Savannah Grace
Feeling Blessed
I am feeling so blessed!!! Nearly ten years ago I was on my way to China, my life was about to change forever. Throughout the years I dreamed of sharing my tale with others and letting them wear my shoes (or rather worn flip-flops). I grew so much physically, emotionally and learned so much about the world and its people. I'm currently at the beta reading stage of my SECOND book....and what one of the beta readers said just blew me away somehow.
"As a note, I can’t believe a couple times you were made to stay put and not go out with our Mom and Ammon What did you miss??? I missed that too LOL."
Thinking back on that girl, I never, in my wildest dreams, could have imagined that on those miserable days when I was lonely, sad, crying and feeling like the most lost teenage girl in the world, stuck in a cramped 1$/night room somewhere in Asia, that thousands of people would be sitting there with me. My readers feel my pain and my excitement and even though I didn't know it then, I am SOOO grateful and feel blessed beyond words that they were/are with me.
For MORE... Please visit sihpromatum.com
"As a note, I can’t believe a couple times you were made to stay put and not go out with our Mom and Ammon What did you miss??? I missed that too LOL."
Thinking back on that girl, I never, in my wildest dreams, could have imagined that on those miserable days when I was lonely, sad, crying and feeling like the most lost teenage girl in the world, stuck in a cramped 1$/night room somewhere in Asia, that thousands of people would be sitting there with me. My readers feel my pain and my excitement and even though I didn't know it then, I am SOOO grateful and feel blessed beyond words that they were/are with me.
For MORE... Please visit sihpromatum.com
