Lives So Different


A photo-essay in today's NY Times has me thinking. It's entitled, "To Those With Nothing, Soccer Is Everything."

I guess since I was young, I have had this sense of how fortunate my life is/has been. I'm not saying my life is free from pain, but it's definitely so so so different than the lives of many people around the world. (My basic needs--clothing, shelter, food, water--have always been met. That makes me among the world's fortunate. And, it also makes for a pretty good life.)

You see, for some unspecified reason, here I am FILLING my cupboards to overflowing in the Utah, wondering if I should pay retail price for Toy Story 3's new Wii game, while literally a "world away," a boy is making a soccer ball from plastic bags and playing the game without shoes or proper clothing.

That's heavy to me.

And what's "heavier"? (And yes, I grew up in the 70s and have a free-pass to using "heavy" as an adjective.")

What do I do about it?

Popular posts from this blog

Giveaway Time: Retro Popcorn Machine (Air)

Image
(c) Nostalgia, 2011. I know microwave popcorn is WAY convenient and tasty, but it's not that healthy for you. So ... I thought it would be fun to giveaway an air-popped popcorn machine. And this is the one I own, so I thought we could be twins! Giveaway begins today and ends at 11:59pm on 2/24    (Friday, Mountain Time). Dawn's Blog Giveaway Rules 1. Anyone may enter.  Family, friends, in-laws, out-laws, previous winners, etc. 2. You enter by leaving a comment on my blog. Leave a comment--any comment--between today,  February 17 and February 24, 2012 @ 11:59pm. 3. One winner per giveaway: 1 Nostalgia Air Popped Popcorn Machine (red). I didn't win the million, sorry! 4. Winner is selected RANDOMLY using Random.org. The comments are numbered in the order they are received. 5. Winner will be named--first name/username--only on the blog on February 1. You may enter under anonymous, but I will have a ...
Read more

When The Flu Comes To Town ...

Image
Even Harriet-the-dog threw up this weekend. What the what? Well, if there's anything positive about having the flu, it's having it over a weekend--so you can truly REST from your work/school/etc. Right? Uh, sure. Poor Bam, Dave, Zu and even Harriet-the-dog each caught a weird cold/flu-type thing that had them "down for the count" this weekend. It was awful. I was teasing Dave, but I'm not sure if it's worse to be the one with the flu--or the mom to the ones with the flu. Eeek! (We're talking a lot of laundry and disinfectant. If you're picking up what I'm layin' down.) Hopefully they will be on the mend here soon. And hopefully, the remaining non-flu family members have used enough Purell to keep us germ-free. Crossing my fingers. Hope your weekend was 'smarvelous. ***** PS: Booo. BYU lost this weekend. (Yay if you are a Ute fan--Liz B.) PPS: Not that it's a big deal in the Big Picture, but I did deactivate ...
Read more

Recipe: Survivor South Pacific's " Ponderosa Caramel Banana Pancakes"

Image
(c) Sassafras Cafe, 2012. It's taken me a year to get the recipe (literally).  But here it is:  Chef Simon's  Survivor South Pacific  Ponderosa Caramel Banana Pancakes Ingredients Equal quantities of:  Soft fine dark brown sugar Unsalted Butter Full cream Sliced bananas (say bah-nah-na w/ an Australian accent please) Hot pancakes  Directions 1. Combine butter and sugar together over low heat,  2. Add cream stir with wooden spoon till combined  3. Add sliced bananas. 4. Slowly heat; don't boil. 5. Add to hot pancakes and e njoy ! Me, at Survivor South Pacific's Ponderosa, 2011. (Ponderosa is the location where players stay once they leave the game.)
Read more