Reason and Light: October 2008

The Pumpkin Run was last Saturday and the results are in...

My official race time was 51:17 with a shot gun start. For those of you who are non-runners or newbies like me, this means that everyone's time is based off the shotgun (start) but not unnecessarily a specific indicator of how fast each individual actually ran, since it takes some time for each runner to actually cross the finish line!

Since I had my iPod and handy Nike+attached, I was able to get my "actual" time as well. For me, this was 41:04. My goal was to finish in less than 45 minutes and I DID IT! Yea me!

I didn't get an "official" race photo, so you don't get to see me in my pretty BRIGHT orange t-shirt. But, I was there and it was fun.

Next race...Jingle Bell 5k on November 16 (other than cold...it's supposed to be very cold...we'll see how THAT works!)

In a typical middle-class American way today, I've already done the following things:

Woken up in a soft, warm bed to an alarm clock
Turned down the heater because it was too warm in my 1600 sq ft home
Took a HOT shower and dried off with a clean towel
Put on makeup and did my hair with a hair dryer and a curling iron
Got dressed after sorting through too many options in my closet
Worked on a computer with Internet access and a wireless home network
Watched cable TV on THREE different TVs throughout my home
Reviewed the bill for dental work my kids received with a note to call the insurance company about what wasn't covered
Wrote checks for school parties and sports activities, as well as credit cards and other household bills
Woke up my two boys from their soft, warm beds
Fed my boys warm pop-tarts and cold milk
Hustled my boys through making their lunches, brushing their teeth and getting dressed in clean clothes
Moved a load of laundry through the system - washer, dryer, and hangars & baskets
Put out steak and pork chops to be grilled for our dinner tonight
Drove my kids to school and then myself to the job I've held for over 5 years in a large minivan with a full tank of gas
Considered stopping at two different Starbucks on the way to work, but decided to wait until Friday for that "indulgence"
Worked on another computer with Internet access for a company that builds websites
Talked on a RAZR cell phone and a land line phone
Looked at pictures of my family on a digital picture frame
Watched a movie and listened to music on my iPod Nano third gen
Used Facebook and other Internet sites to connect to friends and family
Bought lunch at the café next door to my office

And this was all before NOON! And I could place a bet that your day, although not the exact same, involved many of the same activities listed above and maybe more!

So, why do I list of all of these luxuries in a post about poverty? Simply put, I (apparently) don't understand first-hand the concept of "poverty".

Growing up, I know money was tight as my mom was raising three kids alone from the time I was 7. Yet, we always had a house to live in and food on the table. Although I wore some hand-me-downs from my older brother, being a girl there were some things that had to be bought just for me and they were always there when I needed them. I had a bike and my mom always had a car and could afford gas for that car. We took family vacations - usually to see other family members - and we did fun things, just maybe not as much as other people. I had piano lessons, played in the school band, and played sports - all of which cost money and sometimes a lot more than I realized back then. We had good Christmases and great birthdays. We never really went without, although now I see that we were probably "lower class" or "poor" in terms of how much money we had.

I know there are people in the world who do not have 'enough'. For me as an adult, like many Americans, not having 'enough' is the equivalent of cutting back on eating out as gas prices rise or foregoing a new clothes I don't need so I can take my family on a vacation. Not having 'enough' means having to wait for my paycheck before I can pay off a credit card. It means only having Starbucks once a week or making my lunch instead of buying it for a few days. It means I can't buy the newest iGadget as soon as it comes out or wear the latest fashion trends all the time. It means I'm a typical spoiled American.

I think we, as middle-class (and higher) Americans, take for granted the things we do and have and don't really think about the fact that there are people in the world - and, yes, even in AMERICA - that do not have enough money to get even the basic necessities in life.

They don't have a paycheck coming in on a regular basis, if at all. They don't have a house to go home to or a bed to sleep in. They don't have a car to take them places and probably can't afford the bus or subway either. Many of us look at walking or running as a hobby or a way to stay in shape but those without money look at it as their only form of transportation - and hope their shoes last through the winter. They don't have clean clothes or even clean bodies most times. Food is a need sometimes met from the trash of others and good, warm food is a luxury. Medical, dental and vision care and the insurance to help pay for that care are virtually unheard of. Education for children is received at public schools, if at all - and extracurricular activities like sports and music are a mere dream.

What I'd like you to take from this post is how absolutely LUCKY you are to be sitting in a room, using a computer hooked up to the Internet, with clothes on your back, probably having eaten several times today, with plans to talk on the phone or watch TV tonight and then fall into a real bed.

Some of these things are basic necessities (shelter, clothing, sustenance) and others are pure luxuries (electricity, a computer, Internet access, a bed, a phone, a TV) - and YOU HAVE THEM. Or have access to them. You are not lacking! Be thankful for what you have and then take a little of that to share with others.

On this blog action day, thousands of bloggers the world-round are writing about ways to help those in need. Suggestions of organizations that take donations, such as Operation Breakthrough here in Kansas City, are placed on blogs in the hope that the link will be followed and a donation given (hint, hint - click that link!). Other sites suggest ways to go out and help alleviate the problem by conscious action. Any way around it, the "haves" need to do a little to help the "have-nots" to make the world a better place. Do what you can and then say a little prayer that YOU are a "have".

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