Thursday, August 1, 2013

I Am Poor and Rich



I keep finding myself conflicted by the feeling that I have never felt so poor in my entire life and I also have never felt so rich. Never have so many people considered me destitute as at this moment and never have so many considered me rich.

Our friends in the US are shaking their heads and marveling at the "great sacrifices" we are making while people here are shaking their heads and marveling at the excessive glory of our college dorm mini fridge. 

Doing laundry by hand, walking somewhere else for the internet, walking everywhere because we have no care, having no way or means to obtain the conveniences of the states, these things make me feel poor. 

I was walking with Faustine and we passed some carpenters carving some beds just in the fashion of the ones in our house. I pointed to them and said look, our beds! Kind of jokingly. She looked at them solemnly and told me how she and her mother always admire them-- that they are very fine. I was quiet then while Ireflected that to me they meant nothing much and that we even have a totally unused one in our house. I sleep in a rich man's bed. 

-Logan

2 comments:

  1. Great picture of the family! I assume you are taking the picture Lo?! Is Eric reading out loud to everyone? Do you all sleep in this one bed...or do you have more beds? :)

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  2. I am reminded of my youth. I was always embarrassed by our shabby house - my friends all had nicer- but when I was 18 I was told by someone that I was rich - I had a new 10-speed bike and lived in the rich part of town. It was so strange to hear that foreign point of view. -love, mom

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