Be thankful for “The simple life”

Be thankful for “The simple life”
Sunday November 27, 2011
By: Gina Yoryet Roman



I’ve never been one to celebrate Thanksgiving and much less have I been a fanatic of Michael Jackson, there is only one song of his that has always been among my favorites which enticed me to express myself better (I changed it around a little)…

When I look at the woman in the mirror it doesn’t take me long to realize that I’ve been a victim of a selfish kind of love. I ask her to change her ways and make a change for once in her life. She sees the kids, the elderly and the disabled in the street without enough to eat and nowhere to go.

Who is she to be blind, pretending not to see their needs?
Who is she to live entrapped in this selfish vanity and not be aware of all the blessings she’s surrounded with?
Who is she to not see other peoples´ grief?

I want to take a look at myself from someone else’s eyes and make the world a better place by starting with her.
It’s time that I realize that there are some without a home, a shelter or a single penny to spare.
Can it be really me when I drive or walk past these happenings?
Is it really me to not see their washed out dreams?

If I could only change this world for better, where to start?
That change has to start within. I must lift myself up, stop my self-centeredness, look further than my nose and give a lending hand within my means and help reduce famine even if that change is insignificant.
Or simply stop coveting more, be happy and fulfilled with what I have, what I’ve accomplished and just be THANKFUL for the “Simple Life” as month after month, week after week, each day, every hour and second that go by, I don’t have to reach that far as they bring me closer to my purpose.

When I’m going through self-pity and feel like complaining, perhaps I should give this video a quick glimpse so it refreshes my memory that I have a warm place to get home to every night, I have a TV even though it may not be what I want,
Should I remind myself that I always have a choice?

Perhaps I should remind the woman in the mirror that she is entitled to marry whoever she wants.
Maybe she should be aware that she can walk alone even at the crack of dawn if it pleases her
I may have to help her remember that she has the freedom of speech.
I shouldn’t let her forget that she can always go back to school and increase her knowledge as long as she shall live.
I might have to tell her that she can make all the noise she wants, to look out her window at any moment and enjoy the first ray of light each morning.
It might be a good idea to tell her how cramped her closet is with clothes and shoes, therefore she can wear tennis shoes, high heels, flip flaps or anything she is in the mood for without drawing any concern or anger upon anyone and much less be punished.
I need to help her be aware that she can have her nails painted any color she wants without having to fear that her fingers or any part of her body will be amputated.
I need to beat on her head that she has the freedom to talk to any man or stranger she wants but without breaking the boundaries.
I need to push her to enjoy life more and make her see that she can party out her entire life without giving account to anyone but to the woman who looks at her every time she glances at the mirror.
I need to help her appreciate and cherish her temple (her body), know that she can do anything she wishes with it, and let her know that she can play any sport, ride a bike, go out in public, a million things without losing her essence, her freedom, her wishes, her vanity, desires, needs, wants, would likes, will dos and anything she ever dreamt of.
Also tell her that she can wear all the makeup and perfume there is as we never know when tomorrow won’t come again.


But most important of all, she must know that there are a million reasons to smile and I also need to seal these words in her mind.
To be thankful for the simple life she’s been given. Thank the Lord for every day, for what she has and for what she is.
For the breakfast on the table despite the fact that it may not look like the ones on pictures of magazines.
Be thankful for the food she has even if it’s not necessarily what she wants, as there are millions of homeless who don’t have a single crumb to eat.
Be grateful that even though she clutches her blanket and growls when the alarm goes off, she can hear, many deaf people wish they could hear.
Be glad that even though she keeps her eyes closed against the morning light as long as possible, she can see the light of each day – there are many who don’t have the joy to do so.
In spite of the fact that she huddles in her bed and puts off rising, she has the strength to rise…there are many who are bedridden.
Smile even though she wakes up in a bad mood because the first hour of her day is “hectic” when socks are lost, toast is burned, tempers are short and her neighbor’s baby is always crying her guts out or because she’s having a bad hair day or a “fat” day.
Appreciate her siblings and mother even though we may be so far apart, as many people are lonely.
Be more humble and enjoy her job even if it may get monotonous from time to time. Be Thankful that even when the world’s economic future is at stake, she is still blessed with a job as day by day more people are unemployed barely making ends meet.
Even though she grumbles and bemoans her fate from day to day and wishes her circumstances were not so “modest,” force her to bite her tongue and appreciate “the simple life.”