I am thankful that I have somewhere warm to live and to sleep - somewhere I can call home. I am thankful that I have shoes upon my feet and clothes in my wardrobe and food in the pantry. And I am thankful that I don't have to worry about where my next meal is coming from.
I am thankful that I can pay the utility bills that land on our doormat or appear in my e-mail inbox. I am grateful that I don't smoke cheap cigarettes or have a big satellite dish on the side of my house or have a mongrel dog upon a chain cowering in a broken kennel upon a neglected back garden.
I am glad that I don't have to attend food banks or make sense of labyrinthine forms related to social security or welfare payments. And I am thankful that I don't have to push an old shopping trolley around the streets - filled with all my worldly goods.
I am thankful that I don't have to move around on a mobility scooter or look in a mirror and notice that I am older than my years. And I am grateful that I don't live on some rundown estate or in some gruesome tower block surrounded by other people who are steeped in poverty.
I am glad that I knew about the importance of books before I went to school and I am grateful that my parents provided me with a secure home and a childhood that was not blemished by poverty in all its different disguises.
I am glad that I have visited wonderful places and have gathered a store of happy memories from a comfortable life. I am glad that I have not suffered from ailments associated with poverty or turned the heating off for fear of the bill that inevitably follows.
To be truthful, I don't really know what poverty is or how it feels but I can imagine it and I have the ability to empathise. When all is said and done, I am so very thankful that I am not poor but my heart goes out to all who live in poverty.
Me too, Mr. P.
ReplyDeleteMe too.
Combating poverty - that should be the real "Me Too" movement.
DeleteWell said.
ReplyDeleteIt is easy to pull curtains across our minds - so that we rarely think about poverty.
DeleteSame here. There is so much in my life - actually, my whole life - to be grateful for, and I am.
ReplyDeleteFor many years, I earned very little and had to be careful about spending. For instance, when my girlfriends went out for a meal on Friday night, I would join them only if I had been teaching English on Tuesday night after work. But I never had to go without food or was unable to pay the leccy bill.
At times, I have also had to watch the pennies but it was never poverty.
DeleteEloquently put.
ReplyDeleteI agree on all counts.
This blogpost was inspired by a visit to Scunthorpe town centre.
DeleteSame here. There used to be an old disused 4-storey office block near me which stood empty for years. I dreamed, if ever i won a lot of money, of buying it, renovating it and opening it up to the homeless. They would be allowed to stay for six months to get themselves straight, get off drugs or drink (with the help of the counsellors I would employ) and take up jobs, so they could go forth and be independent. All I need is that lottery win! I don't understand why those who do have a lot of money wont do it.
ReplyDeleteThat is a very beautiful dream ADDY. Doing something like that would have the side benefit of making one feel that one had achieved something very worthwhile in life. Who needs a rambling mansion in Wiltshire or a private jet?
DeleteA sober reflection, YP, and one we should all think about. I grew up without a lot of things but never in real poverty, and I too am grateful for that.
ReplyDeleteSometimes we forget to be thankful.
DeleteThere is indeed much to be thankful for. And we should never forget to reach out to those in need in whatever way that we are able.
ReplyDeleteToo right Bonnie.
DeleteThe last few years I've had very little money and caught a glimpse of what poverty feels like but even then, I had the benefit of owning our house and having some nice things bought in better times so it wasn't quite so grinding.
ReplyDeleteMoney may not buy happiness but poverty is a real robber of joy
If I were to publish a modern dictionary of quotations I would certainly include your last sentence Kylie.
DeleteIt's good that you are grateful for your good fortune, and better that you are empathetic with those who do not share it. I've lived at or near the poverty line pretty much my entire adult life, and I have a college education. But some professions don't pay enough. Still in all of it I've realized that most people considered poor in my country would be considered affluent in some of our closest neighbors. When I was "homeless" I had a place to go and a bed to sleep in. It had a kitchen and a bath and cable TV and Internet service. And I understood that even though my accommodations were meager, they were still a home. And I was grateful for that. The worst though, were those people who judged me because at the time I could do no better. Please understand that poverty doesn't make you a bad person. It only leaves you with less options.
ReplyDeleteThank you for allowing us to look through a little keyhole and see something of your past life Lisa. It is clear that you know far more about poverty than I do.
DeleteYou are fortunate to be able to be thankful for the life and style of life you enjoy.
ReplyDeleteI agree.
DeleteWell, said. The opportunity was there and we took advantage of it. When you sit down and make a list we see how fortunate we were .
ReplyDeleteI know that you knew poverty firsthand out there on the prairie Red.
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