Snap Back...

Last night I ventured out with some friends for an evening of dinner, a bit of shopping, and of course, lots of chatter. We are good at chatter. Ok, I am especially good at chatter. Too good really, and I try to remind myself to shuteth my big mouth...

My friend Chris and went early to dinner and shopped around in Anthropologie. Oh my... I wished I had brought my camera in... eye candy galore. I am fan of little bowls and pottery, and there was no shortage of either. I fell into a mad state of wantitits over a little blue and sage green polka-dot bowl. I was trying to convince myself that $12 was an acceptable price for such a bowl. I was not able to do so successfully. There was also an array of little colorful bowls bargain priced at $4 each. Now I am sure someone is going, $4 is not alot... BUT it is when I absolutely, fundamentally do not NEED a bowl. I moved away from the pottery especially since the little adorable measuring cups were screaming my name... they were also screaming $28-36 EACH, so I covered my ears and moved away from them.

The point... I left the store feeling a little, well... miffed. I wanted to be one of the ladies taking her overpriced -probably bought for a nickle from Portugal - so intensely marked up in price -bowls to the counter to purchase. I was not.

Then it hit me... as I was walking down the sidewalk, carrying my new camera, in its lovely new bag, and going to eat dinner with my friends in a nice restaurant...

The Snap Back Moment!

I HAVE NOTHING TO COMPLAIN ABOUT! EVER!!

And I have been lately...

hurt feelings here, not getting to take a trip there, wanting to buy this or that, not being happy with things, etc.... whiney Jude has been in full mode the last few weeks.

Whiney Jude, she is not a pretty sight. Really rather unpleasant. Poor Micah. He has to put up with her. He needs a medal of some sort. I have to think that when he meets God in Heaven someday, the Lord will look at him and say, "You, you get a special jewel for your crown. It is the jewel just for dealing with that girl all those years. You are of hearty stock man. Well done. She was a real pill. I know... I was watching..."

Back to the snap back moment...

Maybe it is because I am currently reading a book about the Holocaust... and before that I read a book about child soldiers in Sierra-Leone, but really... I am so, and I do mean sooooooooo materially blessed. No, we may not have a large house, perfectly decorated, wearing the trendiest of clothes,etc...

but we have a home.

it is warm in the winter

and cool in the summer.

there is water, food and light.

no one enters it, takes away my possessions

and sends me off to a work camp where my

lovely (albeit fake) red hair is shaved off.

My kids are not taken from me, handed a gun and told it is now their mother.

I do not fear being shot at for going to the store.

Or being raped for being a female.

Think about it. Think about what is making you upset right now, and compare it to the harsh reality that others live in. And I dared to be miffed about not buying a silly bowl for $12???

El Stupido! Snap Back! I think if God were in the neon sign business, he would have flashed one just then that said, "Yep, you are a spoiled little thing. It is about time you got this for once and for all."

On that note, here is a link that a dear friend asked me to post here.

Go. Read. Look.

And then - Realize...

that no matter what disappointments there are, how people may hurt you, or what Anthroplogie may do to your wantitis levels, others are out there, really suffering, and that alone ought to snap you back to reality.

I know, I am typically a light reading kind of blogger, but really, in a seven day stretch like this, you had to expect at least one soapbox moment. And YES, I know... I did not blog yesterday... hello, it was Sunday, the Sabbath... I took a day of rest.

So there it is, Day Six in Jude's exciting week... the make you feel guilty because I felt guilty edition.