Every morning I write down 3 things I am grateful for. I recently noticed that what I take for granted does not hit that list. Once I thought about it, I was surprised by how many things I take for granted. I compared what I have, to what I saw when I was in Kenya last year. Here’s just the start of my day.
- Most mornings I wake up after a good 8 hours of sleep. I sleep in a warm house, in a safe neighborhood, in a comfortable bed, protected from the weather. In Kenya many slept in shanties on dirt.
- I brush my teeth with plenty of clean water. The shower is nice and hot. In Kenya many were walking miles to collect water to drink, cook and bath.
- I open my closet and choose my clothes for that day. I have plenty of choices. I am not sure what Kenyan’s do, however I did not see a closet or even a place to have a closet.
- For breakfast I open the refrigerator and choose what I want. There is plenty of food. If we run out, we just go to the grocery store. I didn’t see a refrigerator or grocery store.
- To get to work I hop into my car, that is reliable and full of gas and go to work. In Kenya walking was most common type of transportation. Next motor bikes, tuk-tuk (3 wheeled motorcycle) and matatus (privately owned minibuses used as shared taxis).
- It takes me 10 minutes to get to work and traffic is fairly light. The traffic lights work and the roads are paved. In Kenya the traffic was hectic at the best. 5 lanes of traffic in 3 marked lanes. No construction detours. Nairobi has 42 stoplights and not all the roads are paved.
That’s just the start of my day. I have so much to be thankful for!
Mary Guldan-Lindstrom, CPA
