8 Reasons Someone Envies You

When was the last time you took a moment to sit back, look around and ponder on how wonderful your life is? 

Okay, you may have the occasional bad day or perhaps you are going through a rough patch, but over all, you have it pretty good. 

In fact, there are literally thousands of people in the world who envy you - who wish they were you . . .

. . . and here are a few of the reasons why:

1.  Shelter

You have shelter - a roof over your head. There are about 100 million homeless people in the world.

The International Journal of Psycho Social Rehabilitation, (2008) states there are 200,000 homeless people in Canada. Of that number 6,100 are in Ontario.

Women and Children are the fastest growing group of those who are homeless in Canada. Source: Women’s Housing Advocacy Group, 2003

According to the Federation of American Scientist (2009), there is an estimated 600,000 to 2.5 million homeless people in the United States. Approximately 1.37 million are children under the age of 1,  40% are families with children, 41% are single males, 14% are single females

If you are interested in reading more stats, you will find them at http://www.homelessworldcup.org/content/homelessness-statistics.

Every day, several times a day, I pause to be grateful for my home. 

My husband and I worked hard to save money. The moment I saw this house, I fell in love with it. It's a small house that was in bad shape but I saw the potential. We worked together to make this house our home. We have lived here with our children and now also our grandchildren for about nine years.

Through circumstances out of my control, my family now faces the reality that we may become homeless. If we don't get enough money together we will lose our home and become a statistic.

I am grateful for my home because it provides shelter for myself, two daughters and two young granddaughters. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

2.  Water

Have you ever been without a fresh, clean supply of water? Perhaps the Water Company shut it off? Or they were working on the line somewhere and had to turn it off for a few hours?

When you don't have it, you see just how much we use water. How many times a day do you use water whether you are turning on the tap, washing your clothes or flushing the toilet.

This morning when I flushed the toilet a thought popped into my head. I bet the water in my toilet is cleaner than the water some people have to drink. I looked it up. There are about 3.4 million people who die each year from water related illnesses - every 20 seconds a child dies from one of those illnesses.

What about our own country - or the city we live in? There are so many people who can't afford to pay their water bill.

I am so grateful that my family and I have access to clean, running water. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

3.   Food

March 2012, 882,188 people received food from a food bank in Canada. During the same period, 3,912,239 meals were prepared and served by soup kitchens, shelters, school breakfast initiatives, and other programs.

Have you ever had to rely on a food bank to nourish your family? I am sad to admit that I have - when my kids were small and I became a single parent, there were times that there was not enough money to pay for everything. It is a terrible feeling when you look in the fridge and all you see is mustard and ketchup. 

It breaks your heart when your child is hungry and you don't know what you are going to do. I am fortunate. My Mom has been there for me at those times to wipe away my tears and put food in my cupboards.

I am so grateful for the food in my cupboards and refrigerator because I know that my girls are well nourished. Thank you, thank you, thank you. 

4.  Healthcare

I am hoping you have healthcare. We are very fortunate, in Canada. we  have access to all the benefits of modern medical science. Our healthcare system provides peace of mind - we don't have to worry about being able to afford a visit to the doctor or to the hospital. 

I am so ever grateful for the healthcare system we have in Canada because it means that my loved ones will always have access to medical attention when they need it. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

5.  Education

I am going to assume you have been educated. Can you use the internet and read this blog? If you answered yes, you are one of the fortunate people who has had the opportunity for an education.

Illiteracy threatens over 785 million adults worldwide, translating into one in every five people on the planet, with either no or just basic reading skills. Two-thirds of the illiterate population is women.

Unfortunately with the inability to read often comes misunderstanding and confusion which perpetuates the cycle of poverty and illness.

6. Sanitation

One of the basic necessities of life is sanitation. Did you know that? I didn't but it does make sense.

Whether it is a necessity or not, I have looked out my front window and watched the sanitation crew throwing my garbage into their truck and carrying it away, and thought, how fortunate we are to have someone do that. Those poor people work in all kinds of weather in a physically demanding job that can wear a body out.

Can you imagine if we didn't have our garbage taken away?    Or we didn't have toilets, drains and sewers? 

I am very grateful for a sanitation system that keeps our communities clean and healthy. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

7. Clothing

Ah, clothes. Shoes. What a wonderful thing. I remember being a teenager with a closet full but still had nothing to wear. 

For the very poor, proper clothing is their shelter. I have to share this story by  David Bornstein. "“Disposer of Dead Bodies.” Gupta, a freelance journalist, asked the rickshaw owner, a man named Habib, if he could join him on his nightly rounds. For his services, Habib was paid about 50 cents per body. Habib said that in summer he collected four or five bodies a night. In winter, it was a different story. When a cold wave hits Delhi, temperatures can drop below freezing."

Now I know that is an extreme case but there are many instances where inadequate clothing touches the lives of so many people right here in your own neighborhood. 

Poverty can mean not having a good outfit for an interview; sending your child to school without mitts or a hat; wearing a spring coat in the winter; being judged as less than because your clothes are stained or torn. Look around you - it's everywhere.

I am grateful for the clothes in our closets and in our dresser drawers. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

8.  Freedom

We are blessed with freedom. We have the freedom to make decisions over our own destinies. 

We have the freedom to choose who we marry;  how many children we want which religion we follow . . . 

I am so grateful to live in a country that allows individual rights and freedoms. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

So you see, there are at least eight reasons someone envies you. If you put your mind to it you could make this list a mile long. Why are you grateful?

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Thank you Suzanne, I am so grateful to you for  featuring my post on your blog, Pieced Pastimes. 

This is what Suzanne had to say about her fabulous feature, "Giving pause to reflect on the blessings in our lives, Darlene shares '8 Reasons Someone Envies You'."

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Thank you Vashti for featuring my post. I am honored.

This is what she wrote, "I thought her post was touching and heartwarming, not to mention TRUE. I also admired the way she lured me in with the title to her post. Clever lady."

Such kind words from fiction writer Vashti. Want to know more about her and the linky party, then click HERE.

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Through no fault of own, my daughters, granddaughters and I have fallen on hard times. Any help is greatly appreciated. Please go to Go Fund Us for me details. Thank you so much.