Sun to my Back

I know I shouldn’t complain, I mean it’s 32°, and not like it’s twenty below. But I’m sandwiched between a mattress, two sheets, two blankets, a comforter, and a couple of throw covers. I can see my breath while I breathe and fingers are peeking out from under the covers just so I can type. Not sure what the temperature is in this house. But as soon as the sun gets a little higher, I’ll be outside with the warm sun to my back.

I don’t wear my poverty as some badge of honor, no more than any of the other billions of people do. It’s just simply a fact. Watching those folks in Texas this week was a reminder that someone’s always got it worse than you. But to sit and judge a person’s worth by how tough and independent they are is fool hearty. Proud after all was the original sin (Isaiah 14:12-17).

I heard someone recently rail against “big government” bailouts and oversight. Making the same old claims about big brother and the loss of “freedom”. Honey, I hate to hurt your feelings, but there’s a few million of our fellow citizens that need help right now. Rather it’s the desperate situation in Texas, the killing of small businesses by the pandemic, or the millions struggling with food insecurity. “Toughen up, buttercup” ain’t going to cut it.

It’s easy to say those words when you have a job and frankly white privilege on your side. I might have the privilege, but I also live on a fixed income. I made the decision not to heat my home or water because it’s more important to have a roof over my head and three square meals a day. So while it may make you feel superior when you say that shit about others. Remember the proverb, “I had no shoes and complained, till I met a man with no feet” – Anonymous.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Fail-Safe

Image
Through the paper-thin walls of this old house, I can hear my neighbors getting ready for another day. Laying here remember when I used to do that, working at night so I could take care of the kids, while my wife went to work. Yesterday sorta marked a tipping point for me I suppose. I finally got my consultation with the gastroenterologist. So we are working the set-up some tests my primary care physician has been wanting for me to have for months. While I would love nothing more than to tell my PCP, “I told you so”. But I suppose knowing is better than not knowing. Although I do find some comfort in ignorant bliss.  I get the impression some people feel I am an optimist. But I like to think of myself more as a realist. What some may mistake as optimism is actually nothing more than analytics. Where I breakdown a given situation and create a solution. That may sound cold and frankly less romantic. But you must understand, after living so long in a void of no emotion (due to
Read more

Moments You've Lived

Image
It’s 5:15 in the afternoon and my stupid ass is back outside. I just checked the phone and it’s a balmy 90° with a feel like temperature of 99°f. I figured since I was hot in the room with the AC on, I might as well come outside and do same thing. Earlier I read a funny meme from my sibling on Facebook that read, “Can someone send me a hug?” copy and share. Rather sarcastically I replied, “We are not huggers , didn’t we grow up in the same house?” Probably no truer words have ever been spoken about our lives as kids. Oh, we weren’t beaten or overly abused, we were just not raised all “touchy feely”. Not surprisingly most kids of our generation weren’t raised that way either. We were provided for in our working class suburban homes. It’s just that a lot of time wasn’t devoted to things like feelings and emotions. You were expected to tough it out and swallow those tears. I guess one place where we could let our emotions go was church. Raised during the infancy of the “Pentecostal Moveme
Read more

Focus on Living

Image
Me and my bride just got back from the big store chain that doesn’t compensate me for mentioning them, so I won’t. Last night it was stuffy and hot with the temperature hovering around 80° at midnight. So I woke up dizzy with a headache. Even after dropping my morning meds, the headache and lightheadedness still hasn’t gone away. Long story short, after putting the groceries put up, I’m now sitting in the shade of the trees in our backyard. There’s not much to write about at the moment other than I also have an enormous crick in my neck. Which may go a long ways in explaining my dizziness. Still down the street a neighbor is getting their grass mowed. Our lawn was mowed Tuesday by Mr. Brown, with this being the first time I’ve been outside in a couple of weeks. Between the headache and the dizziness, there’s sharp pain is running down my leg again. Reminding me if nothing else most physical and some emotional pain will definitely teach you a little about patience. In bet
Read more