The Good Life

So I like to keep up with the news... usually online. I scan the local newspapers delivered to the department every once in a while for local news, but the rest of the big stuff I read online.

Yesterday I read about the U.N. Secretary General Annan's visit to Niger. Now, this isn't the first I've been aware of the droughts, locust infestations and resultant major food shortage in several countries of Northwestern Africa. I suppose it just seems that Africa as a whole goes through one crisis or horror after another. Kinda like the general mayhem in the Middle East... it all seems to gel together into one big catastrophe and/or cluster-fuck. It requires a conscious effort to distinguish each issue to remain informed about what's going on.

So amway, I'm reading about Niger and I realize that I have a pretty good life, despite all my complains. It's hardly a novel thought... but one I should keep in the front of my mind more often than I do. Yesterday I wrote that I should have something good to blog about soon... and I do. I live in a society where I can live as I choose, and in a beautiful town that is constantly building and creating and growing. Though the prospect of terrorism or mass murders or rape or any number of horrid things is always a possibility, it's not a gauranteed daily reality in my life. I have a solid income and job I enjoy with people I like. I'm on the upward climb to eliminating my debt and I'm saving for retirement. My cupboards and fridge are stuffed with food and I could easily stand to lose 30 pounds. I adore my duplex filled with way too much stuff, and my new car.

I have a Mom who's also my best friend, who works until midnight to finish custom tailoring a set of curtains for me... or a bridesmaid's dress... or a witch's costume (she's damned good at it, too). And a Dad who's easygoing, open-minded, an informative authority on just about anything, and shares with me a fun sibling interaction that neither of us ever had (when he's in a good mood). I have awesome friends who accept me for who I am, whom I appreciate to no end, and who are there when I need them.... even if they're on the other side of the country.

Plus there's the added bonus that I'm not currently in pain. So at this very moment, my life is pretty damned good. I know there's not much I can do to help anybody else's life be pretty damned good, too, but I've decided to regularly give just a little bit to the Red Cross and the Humane Society. I know there are a hoarde of charitable groups out there, but I know for a fact that those two are legitimate. Plus, I've given to them before. I can't afford much at the moment on my extremely tight budget, but I can always give a little more when I can.

It doesn't fix the world or make anything all better. But it helps me feel better about my life. So even altruism is ultimately selfish. :)