Fueling Up for the Good Life!
Like all in America, I learned the hard way that we have taken “the good life” for granted. Americans, me included, have been blessed in this land of opportunity…much more so than those who live in other parts of the world. For the most part, we have roofs over our heads, food in our tummy and a wealth of televisions and other toys to fill our hours with entertainment. We have cell phones to keep connected; we have cars to move us from point to point. Our closets are filled with clothes, many with designer labels. We have choices even down to what shoes we will put on our feet. We have so much more than one outfit to wear day after day after day and squeeze our feet into our one and only pair of shoes that we’ve had for years. Blessed we are. Even if we find ourselves on welfare, we fare well in comparison to most of the world’s inhabitants.
Even with all our blessings are we thankful? Not hardly! We complain about the economy. We fault our leaders (the same leaders that we have had the freedom to elect). We hate our jobs. And we are jealous of others who have more than we have.
The latest malaise of Americans is the high price of fuel for our cars and to warm our homes. Each time, which is daily, we read about the rising prices of oil, we sink into depression which we verbally share with others. Sure! Oil is not cheap! This is a given. But we still drive our cars. We still turn on the furnace when it’s cold and air conditioners when it’s warm. This may have led to a few less nights of eating out, but we still have food. (It’s just that we hate the idea of having to fix meals when it is so much more convenient to have somebody else make it for us.)
We are spoiled. We’re used to the good life and we don’t want to make any sacrifices to our expectations. We don’t want to buckle down and put a little energy into making small adjustments in our lives. After all, why should we have to do this!? It’s everybody else’s fault that there are less natural resources. Our only role is to be a consumer. This is what we’ve have always done and this is what we want to continue to do!
I know…I know. I, too, complain when I have to pay more than $80 to fill up my gas tank. This, to me, is a fortune. (Of course, I think nothing of spending more than $6 a day for a pack of cigarettes!) I have, however, found a solution for my mental and physical health. I now fill up my tank when it is half empty. (I can mentally handle $40-plus better than double that amount!) And I have cut my smoking to half a pack a day. Most important, I have learned to start and end each day with a short prayer of thanksgiving. These efforts have made me feel quite okay living in the USA! Try utilizing your own “recovery” plan. Your smile just might get a little wider!
Comments
Amen to this one, Sandy. I just read a similar blog on the 4th about being thankful. Good for you on cutting down smoking! Hope you can get rid of it for good.
Posted by: Carol | July 11, 2008 10:35 AM