Lightbulb

After my last post about how fortunate I have felt lately, I've been thinking. There are many people who cant think like me. For one reason or another, they are down on their luck.

I hurt my knee at the gym yesterday and the pain has gotten a little worse, so I'm stuck in bed right now with a heating pad hoping it gets better soon. It will, but this leads me to a show I just found on TV because of my temporary disability.

The show is on TLC called "I'm pregnant and..." and then they have themes like "in jail", "homeless" and some others. I'm currently watching the "homeless" episode and it is absolutely devastating what these people have to go through. The husband lost his job this year, right around the time they found out the wife was pregnant. They have two other kids and are homeless. They live in a tent and she is about to give birth. Their life is so uncertain and food is an hourly struggle. They depend on society pretty much to feed them and now they are concerned social services are going to come and take their children.

I mean, really? I cant believe this sad situation. And here I am talking about my luck. I am realizing that ANYTHING can be taken away from you in a snap. The stock market could tank tomorrow and I would not have a job. Its just terrifying.

Another strange thing is that this family has been begging for food and money and came up with about $20 one day. They went to the grocery store to find something healthy for mom and baby. It turns out that the cheapest things are the worst for you. The fruits and vegetables she should be eating were way out of their budget and they dont have any way of cooking any of it. That is just plain terrible. You would think the processed and sugary foods would be more expensive and natural foods would be cheaper. Wrong!

Im not trying to be a downer, but I just thought this little story was worth posting because it never hurts to be aware. Aware of how lucky we are to have most things others can only dream about and how quickly some of those things can change. Also, I am going to be moving back to downtown LA where homelessness is way more prevalent than in the OC. I always tried to be friendly and generous to homeless people, but sometimes I was in a rush or scared or couldnt be bothered with giving someone the time of day. I want to make it a goal to think about others when I see them suffering and thinking about what they went through to get to that point.

And the show is ending now...they caught a break! They found someone who will rent them a small home for $20 per week. They had the baby 48 hours later and were able to bring them to an actual HOME. It was so exciting to see. Its so different than everyone I've ever known that has had a baby. They certainly aren't concerned with where they are taking a baby after they are born, but rather which crib(s) to get, the expensive car seat or the latest room decor. Wow! What an eye opener!