Taking things for granted...

So, friends, readers. I had an experience that I would like to share.

As a VISTA member, I can apply for and receive food stamps. Some other VISTA people had not received their required interviews, so we all piled into a car and headed off to the Lewis and Clark Human Services Office. Upon arriving there, we met another VISTA who had been there for quite a while. I also took note of some of the other people who were around. One of them was an older looking man, dressed in cowboy boots, faded jeans, a thick brown leather belt, a blue flannel long-sleeved shirt, and a light brown cowboy hat. It appeared as though he had been there for a long while, and was struggling to meet up with his case manager.He commented that he needed to get in contact with his case manager, and had been trying to for several days with no success to speak of. After a while, the receptionist asked if the cowboy could call back tomorrow as his case manager called in sick that day. It was at this point that he stated he had no access to a phone, and the nearest public phone was roughly 10 miles away from wherever he was staying, and, as he had a ton of work to do, getting to the phone was going to be an issue.

Long story short, seeing this man in the office really made me think. I realized that I am quite lucky to have things like a cell phone, a laptop, and even limited access to wireless internet. These are things that I tend to take for granted, and even believe are necessary for my existence. I have learned that, as a VISTA person this year, I will be exposed to lots of new things- often things that I'll be uncomfortable with, and will come out of it a better person. I also realized that, while as a VISTA, I am entering into a year of "poverty", it's not actually a real poverty. We have Americorps people that we can call to help us fix whatever nasty situation we find ourselves in. I won't have to live in the back of a VW Van. I can get out of bad living situations, and people who are willing to teach me new skills. I have people who are willing to help me move across the country so I can serve people in (what I see as) a lower class small town in Montana.

My point is something like this: When thinking life is tough, recognize that things could be a lot worse than the situation you are in. Don't take things like having a cell, a digi, or your iPod for granted. The person you're standing next to might not even have access to their own landline. And, might have to travel 10 miles to get to the nearest payphone.