Posted by Anastasia
Sometimes, I just want to kick myself.
We all have moments of self-pity, but lately I’ve been doing more than just dipping my little toe into the pool of Woe Is Me. I’ve cannonballed in with an enormous splash that soaks those I care about, too! So my job isn’t going great? I should feel lucky to have one. My HOA fees are high? At least I have a home. I’ve put on a few extra pounds? That means I have [more than] enough to eat.
Many of you know that I moved to Miami five years ago with about $600 to my name after 18 months of unemployment due to San Francisco’s dot-com crash. Things have gone great for me here, and that’s why I got involved with Aura’s House several years ago – because I wanted to give back. But, as a good friend of mine put it, “giving back” implies that you took something from someone. So I suppose a better way to put it would be: I got involved with Aura’s House because life has been generous with me, and now I want to help pass that generosity along. Sure I went through a tough time being unemployed, but at least I was lucky enough to have been born into a nation where I could easily (relatively speaking) move to a city with a better economy and start over. I’ve heard the term “cosmic lottery” used to describe where and when one is born, as well as which sex/race/class they end up in, and I love the phrase because really – what control do any of us have over where we start our lives?
So coming back around now to this self-pity thing…Kristen’s “100 People” post really put things into perspective for me. If you haven’t checked it out yet, please do so. If the world were 100 people, 18 would be illiterate, only 1 would have a college education, 25 would be lacking even basic shelter, 17 would be undernourished and have no access to safe drinking water, and 1 would be dying of starvation.
And here I am complaining because my bosses in NYC aren’t giving me enough responsibility.
Sheesh…at least now those of you involved with Aura’s House know why so many of my emails to you are sent during the work day. 
kristenah said,
October 19, 2007 at 2:32 pm
Hey Ana,
The 100 People thing aside, we are allowed our own troubles and worries too. It is OUR lives after all. I should do the “Happiest Country in the World” post soon too. It’s a small island in the South Pacific called Vanuatu which to most people, would be considered a 3rd World country. It turns out that those of us in the Developed World may have more material things but are often less happy, less connected to society and spirituality than our Developing World counterparts.
It’s ok to be blue now and again. The 100 People post really does remind us though that at least we have the most basic things like food, shelter, and education so we can drive our own lives. Bravo for all you do at Aura’s House.
I find that when I’m down, working on AH or doing something for someone in need always cheers me up.
evergreen3 said,
October 19, 2007 at 6:40 pm
I don’t think I’ve received an e-mail from you during the day. Money doesn’t buy happiness, although many are fooled into thinking so. If we give more of it away to those in need, I think you will find more happiness than if you keep it for yourself. Live simply so that others may simply live.