Today is Sunday October 9, 2011. It has been raining since last night, heavily I might add. I was reminded that Life is not what you have but what you make it. Here is what happened. Very simply!
I went to bed at minutes after midnight, trying to finish a 2000 word article for a client, so was very tired. I woke up quite late this morning only to realize I had no sugar and less than one teaspoon of salt in the entire house. I went shopping yesterday and totally forgot to buy both items. No Jamaican house goes without sugar and salt.
I decided to make dinner early, so I put my dry kidney beans to cook. My blender gave out so we have to be grating the coconut manually, which task belongs to Steve, my fiance. He came in the kitchen perform his task only to find out that the cocnut we were depending was not good at all. What to do?
Because of the heavy rains it was impossible to go out to get anything from the stores. So the plan had to be change. If you know anything about Jamaica you know that it’s traditional to have rice and peas, with your preferred choice of meat or fish on a Sunday!
My Sunday dinner was not going to be the traditional. I had planned on Brown stewed fish along with our rice and peas. Instead, I returned the fish to the freezer and took out a small pack of chicken, about a pound.
Here is what I did.
- I diced the chicken in bite sized peices
- fried them crisply to a deep brown color the way Jamaicans like their meat
- Made a stew with the fried chicken and kidney beans
- Seamed the rice
We did have rice and peas, just not cooked together. Chicken stewed peas with steamed parboiled rice!
Thinking about my day reminded me how we often take life and others for granted. We often are ungrateful for what we have and forget to be thankful. Many times our lives are taken up always wanting more, we never try to make the most of what we have. Today I was reminded that no matter what I have I need to make the most of it and be thankful.
I encourage to take the time to look around you and count your blessing. What you have might not be what you really wanted. It might not be your first choice. You may consider that you do not have enough in your life. But acquiring things do not make you happy. Happiness is accepting where you are and making the most of it. Loving yourself and being content. Seeing the blessing in your life can lead to great fulfillment.
Such good advice Carolee. I have spent too many years not seeing what i have.
When you think, its just pot luck where we’re born in this world. You and I are thankfully are in places where we can buy salt etc. I honestly wonder how people cope in countries that have dictatorship or famine. If I’m depressed I can go to the doctor and get AD’s or have counselling. What do these poor people do in countries where women cant even drive or vote let alone get depressed. I cant imagine. They probably don’t get depressed – to busy working and being anxious – who knows.
Going to spend today reading You Give Me Butterflies’ – I have stalled reading waiting for the end one to come- but not any longer!
I hope I haven’t sounded patronizing or too ignorant re other places in this world!