Wow...I forgot I had written this several weeks ago:
I am fortunate...one more thing on my list. As I type, I am approximately 35,000 feet in the air racing along somewhere in the neighborhood of 500 mph! Did I mention that I bought the upgrade and am sitting in a first class seat that came with warm nuts, a hot meal, and a warm cookie? Yeah. Imagine that in my younger days? There was a time in my life where this would not have been possible. To think, there are people who will never know this. Forget sitting in first class, there are people who will never have the internet while flying cross country. Why? And this takes me back to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs yet again. There are people in my own neighborhood with no shelter and no food. I can't imagine these folks caring whether or not I have internet on a flight to Las Vegas. These folks are worried about staying warm in the winter and about where their next meal is coming from. I see this as a rare treat, but to some, it is an unimaginable luxury. I am fortunate. I can not afford to lose sight of this. To do so would strip me of my humanity and undo years of trying to better myself as a person. Even in my poorest of college and early professional years, I never worried about having a roof over my head or food in my belly. I can not imagine ever having to. I am fortunate, I am wealthy because of this.
This is a good place to be. In a few hours, I'll be in Vegas and reunited with my mom. I'm lucky to have a great relationship with her. I'm lucky that she is taking time from her life to spend time with me. I'm lucky to enjoy spending time with her and taking amazing vacations with her, and have her all to myself for some amount of time...again, another thing to add to the list of what makes me fortunate and wealthy.
I am fortunate...one more thing on my list. As I type, I am approximately 35,000 feet in the air racing along somewhere in the neighborhood of 500 mph! Did I mention that I bought the upgrade and am sitting in a first class seat that came with warm nuts, a hot meal, and a warm cookie? Yeah. Imagine that in my younger days? There was a time in my life where this would not have been possible. To think, there are people who will never know this. Forget sitting in first class, there are people who will never have the internet while flying cross country. Why? And this takes me back to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs yet again. There are people in my own neighborhood with no shelter and no food. I can't imagine these folks caring whether or not I have internet on a flight to Las Vegas. These folks are worried about staying warm in the winter and about where their next meal is coming from. I see this as a rare treat, but to some, it is an unimaginable luxury. I am fortunate. I can not afford to lose sight of this. To do so would strip me of my humanity and undo years of trying to better myself as a person. Even in my poorest of college and early professional years, I never worried about having a roof over my head or food in my belly. I can not imagine ever having to. I am fortunate, I am wealthy because of this.
This is a good place to be. In a few hours, I'll be in Vegas and reunited with my mom. I'm lucky to have a great relationship with her. I'm lucky that she is taking time from her life to spend time with me. I'm lucky to enjoy spending time with her and taking amazing vacations with her, and have her all to myself for some amount of time...again, another thing to add to the list of what makes me fortunate and wealthy.
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