Thursday Thoughts.

It is funny how we take things for granted. Life is so precious and often we don't just stand back and see what we have.

I think my own perspective on what I have and how grateful I am was strengthened when I lived in Chile. To see so many people begging and living on the streets. The men who wash your windscreens at the traffic lights just so they get money to feed their families. The Public schools and hospitals where the buildings were falling down. The places we were not to go because even the police stayed away.

And then the simple things- playing at the playa (beach) and picking up the broken glass everywhere so your child's feet don't get cut up. Only drinking bottled water, you never knew what was in the water.

BUT-- people there live these lives everyday and some seem happy to do so. The health system is not like ours and many have illnesses that will not be treated and there are no pensions like the ones we have here. This is a way of life for some. We saw it but we were lucky that we had a house (I will not say all the issues it had) a car, my little girl went to a clean and good school, we went on holidays and experienced different places and things that only being there you could do. We had a maid, at $5 an hour most do and by having her we supported her family. When we left we gave all our foods to her (very quick move and unexpected) and even some of the furniture we had bought whilst there. We treated our maid with respect I often said to her we are both humans you are no different- she cried about this.

I think we often whine and whinge about what we want and cannot have yet there are so many that live with less and are happy about it. I am guilty of this too, I also need to stand back and look at what we have.

If you want to read about our adventure in Chile- visit my other blog- http://tellosinchile.blogspot.com/

Life is short, live, love and learn.