Tis a Gift to be Simple

In the spirit of the Holiday Season, I thought I might share the wonderful gifts that poverty has brought me.

I know most of you work hard to get the things you think you need, like a nice house and a big screen TV, but for the past few years I have had very little and yet I have discovered through having very little, what beauty and joy there is in the world.

One of my favorite very zen sayings is "My barn having burned to the ground, I can now see the moon."

This is how I have spent the past few years. Truly enjoying life without all the clutter of materialism.

I've gotten to see very generous hearts who work at the food pantry, and when I get a special food treat, it tastes so much better. Generous people helped me set up my new rental house, or sent welcome gifts. And others simply shared my delight in finally being able to afford my own place and finding a dreamy one at that.

Because I haven't had a car, I get rides with wonderful people. Without that I might not have gotten to spend quality time with my wonderful cousin who succumbed to cancer. It was a blessing, not having a car.

I am able to enjoy simple pleasures, like walking to town and saying hello to people in the parks and sidewalks.

I don't make much money, but I can work by the window with the occasional passing, deer, squirrel, rabbit, and the bird feeder where I can see hundreds of hungry mouths filled every day, including the annoying chipmunk who hides hickory nuts in my laundry and chews my rope mop for bedding.

I sleep on a $10 air mattress on 6 storage buckets, but It's comfy with a Down Feather bed and so much more comfortable than the bunk bed I was sharing with my Grandson. Even then I enjoyed streaming shows on my very cheap android phone with my headset, for entertainment. Even if I did occasionally drop it on my face when I got drowsy. That wakes you up.

So what I can say to you, is if things get dire, don't despair. There is great joy to be had in poverty. If you have a roof over your head, food in your stomach and decent health and the ability to receive the gifts that gentile hearts give (that's the trick) your life can be filled with unbelievable joy.