Blessed Life

Our daughter and some of her friends often laugh at me when I use this hashtag on my Instagrams. Then I think back to my mid-twenties, I reflect on how silly that might sound to me as well.

The reason for my hashtag, when tagging the food we eat and share, the place we live and the people in my life is I want to continuously remind myself of my blessings. In this tough economic time where many of us are one or two checks from personal disaster, I know how blessed we are to have food, shelter, and love surrounding us.

Recently my boss told me about a man who snuck in the back door of a manufacturing facility while no one was looking. He took a shower in one of the bathrooms and then came out and asked to see the person in charge because he was looking for a job. Unfortunately, his actions were not received with the enthusiasm that he had hoped for. I heard another story from a Home Depot employee about how at night the homeless unplug some of the outside vending machines so they can charge their phones. In hearing both of those stories I think about how we must do better for each other. To be unable to shower or charge your phone while being homeless seems like something our country could and should address.

In a country known for our inventiveness and in a world that has opulence as one end of the continuum it seems to me the other end shouldn’t have people in such need. These two examples speak to shelter and jobless, but what about all that will go hungry today? I know that a continuum is just that, a continuum, what if we were to narrow the gap? People say it can’t be done. The large incentives needed to engage or inspired executives is imperative to attract talent. Or the wealthy need the tax breaks to keep their money in our country and to be the job creators. Or better yet, inheritance is already been earned and taxed so there is no need to tax it again. I say, that these things are true only if we believe them to be. We can stand up, get counted and legislate change if we think that narrowing economic margins is good for the majority.

I overheard a conversation recently where someone was comparing and contrasting the US and a third world country. Having traveled to many countries, some of which have been considered third world, I would ask what part are we taking about? The poor, the disparity between the rich and the poor, their social safety nets, or the way people treat the “least” among us? We can and must do better.