By Karma Christine Salvato
Staff Writer
Have you ever had one of those days?
You know the kind. You oversleep, skip breakfast, get stuck in traffic — and then to top it all off you can’t find parking. Frustrating, isn’t it? Your mood is already soured before the day has truly begun, and anyone who crosses your path better watch out. All of these events seem to set the course for the rest of the day — which somehow keeps getting worse.
But, is it really all that bad?
Sometimes we get so caught up in the chaos of our daily lives that we forget to count our blessings.
Last Thanksgiving, I went to Skid Row to help feed the homeless. I’ve fed the homeless before, but never like that. This was reality at its worst and most heartbreaking. It wasn’t masked by an auditorium setting or false image of what homeless life was like.
The whole experience was extremely eye-opening and very real. I realized that the problems I encounter, or think I have, really aren’t that big of a deal at all. Seeing individuals in such dire circumstances made me feel guilty for ever complaining about anything. These individuals were living in “houses,” if you could call them that, made from plastic, cloth or cardboard boxes — and some of them needed serious medical attention.
We had to bring the food directly to each individual because most were afraid to leave their spot for fear that someone would take it.
I think the most moving part of the day was watching this one gentleman who was having a conversation with some of the other volunteers. In the midst of it all he was singing, smiling and praising the Lord. He was living on the street with hardly any food to satiate his hunger, yet he was probably one of the happiest people I have ever seen.
At that moment I gained a new perspective about life and how to live it.
Life is about attitude.
“The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day,” Charles Swindoll said. “We cannot change our past … we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude …”
I agree.
When your problems begin to feel overwhelming, take a step back and think of the happy homeless man who was not angry at God for his situation, but rather, rejoiced and praised his name.
Remember, no matter how unbearable you think your circumstances are, there is always someone else who is dealing with something much worse. So, instead of throwing a pity party, lend a helping hand — and make a difference in the life of someone else.
January 30, 2003
