I stopped at Kmart recently to return some photo frames that weren’t the right size. It was mayhem. They were in the midst of an event that’s held for families in need: children could come in and receive up to $80 of items for school. They were gathered around their parents, standing in line, running about. It was endearing to see these kids so happy. When I left, I saw a few families sitting on some rocks and the kids were looking through their bags with excitement.
This experience made me think about the things I’ve been focused on lately. We’re redoing the kitchen – not a complete redesign, just updating – and as we’re doing that, we’ve noticed other things that need work or updating. (Have you ever noticed that replacing one item can cost you a small fortune because the surrounding items suddenly appear shabby?) In any case, I’ve been thinking about that. And about my birthday. And about my kids’ upcoming college expenses. All fine things, normal things, to be thinking about. But when I saw those kids, I realized just how shallow my world can be – how protected I am from some of the hardships of life. I hope that, from now on, I spend my time thinking about more important things than the knobs on my cabinets.
Photo courtesy of ann_jutatip