It was one of those can’t-believe-I’m-seeing-what-I’m-seeing moments…
My husband and I were walking down a city street in Southeast Asia. The street became more and more narrow — until it was a mere body’s-width wide. I later journaled what we saw…
Chicken Alley. Woman squatting in front of her cooking pot preparing breakfast. Guy shaving in his doorway. Another man’s face slathered in soap about to be washed off. A woman wrapped in a sheet preparing to bathe. Roosters crowing as they walk down the alley, reminding us that this is their territory, not ours. A toddler staring at us with wide eyes. Perhaps we’re the first white faces he’s seen?? Homes crammed one upon the other. No privacy. No dignity, as all is exposed.
Around the corner, monstrous houses with razor-wire covered gates juxtaposed next to decrepit shacks — and yet one shack with a shiny big pick-up truck in the driveway. A woman with a circular support on her head upon which she balances a tray filled with not-sure-what. Multiple food stalls selling freshly cooked food. Stray dogs lazing in the middle of the street, their eyes sad, forlorn. Women with the traditional white/sandy paste on their faces responding in kind when I smile. Women sitting side-saddle on the back of motorcycles, their balance a marvel on these uneven streets. The loud hum of our hotel’s generator, another reminder of those who have electricity and the many who don’t.
To take photos of this world we’ve been temporarily plopped into seems an exploitation of a people who are resilient, strong. Living the best they can where so much seems — from my western perspective — to be working against them. And yet this is their normal. And my exposure to it forever shakes up my normal. Makes me remember again how much I have to be thankful for… and how quickly I forget my many blessings.
— from my journal, September 19, 2025
Complacency robs us of contentment.
And yet much too frequently I fall into its trap.
Reading this journal entry earlier this week was a stark reminder of how quickly I take for granted things like 24-hour uninterrupted electricity. Running water. CLEAN running water. CLEAN RUNNING water IN my home. Food that is readily available and easily prepared. Physical space. Privacy. Living in a country not wracked by civil war. The freedom I have to make choices about any-and-everything.
Complacency also fosters negativism. Grumbling. Complaining. Comparing.
The antidote?
Cultivate gratitude. A sense of wonder. An appreciation for people and things and experiences that help jolt us out of our short-sightedness. Our self-focus.
And that, my friends, will help each of us to have joy in the journey of this thing called “Life!”
