Someone posted this on the internet. Because someone posted this on the internet, someone else got upset. Why, you may ask, did someone get upset over having the above pointed out?
Well, one person pointed out that they were upset they were alive, that they were homeless, didn’t have a bed, and were hungry. Being told to be grateful for things they didn’t have was wrong.
Another person said that the act of stating, “Be grateful,” is an order, and that in so ordering someone to be grateful, you may as well add “or else” to the end. It’s not a statement of joy, but a threat.
Another said it’s a performance piece designed to anger people so they lash out.
I can’t make this shit up. I can’t EVEN.
If you are reading this, you are alive. Even if you feel like total shit (and if you do, PLEASE reach out, because I’d rather spend hours listening to you talk about your bad day than minutes reading a eulogy at your funeral), you’re alive. You may not have a home, but I’m guessing if you’re reading this then you do. There aren’t a lot of people hanging out in political discussion groups on Facebook or the internet in general who are homeless. But even then… a tent, a car, a van, even a box can be a home if you want or need it to be. I’ve lived in a lot of odd places, and almost all of them were “home” even if only for a short while.
If you’re sleeping, you have a bed. It might not be a good bed, but you have one. Your bed might be made of a park bench, the backseat of a car, or a sleeping bag on the ground, but it’s still a bed. I’d hazard to guess pretty much no one reading this is living hard on the streets, though. That means you have a mattress, with sheets and probably a box spring, pillows, maybe a heating blanket, definitely warm blankets. You have a bed.
You have food. And I’m going to be blunt on this – if you don’t have food, that’s on you. There are so many food banks, church dinners, community soup kitchens, and people just outright offering to feed folks that if you’re going without, it’s your own fault. There, I said it. I’m sure that makes me a horrible person, but I’m only speaking the truth. I think what most people mean when they say they have no food, is that they have no food THEY LIKE, and that is not the same thing. At all. You have food.
Me, I am alive. I’m in a better place (physically, emotionally, mentally) than I have ever been before. I relish being alive, even in stressful moments. I’m alive, and I’m bloody grateful that I am.
I have a home. I actually have several homes, because I’m that blessed. I have my home with my family. I have my home with my boyfriend. I have homes with friends, who’ve made it clear I can show up at any moment, any time of day or night, and there will be all of the other things I need. I am so damn grateful to have a home, and not just a house. My heart lives in my home.
I have a bed. I love my bed. I even got to pick the mattress for this bed, which was awesome. I have a cot, too, my “bed while camping,” and I love it as well. I love all my warm blankies, my heating blanket, my pillows that squish just right. I’m so grateful to have a bed that allows me to get amazing rest and wonderful cuddles. And other stuff. Heh…
I have food. I may not have filet mignon, but I have chicken and ground beef. Heck, in a time of need, I know how to get squirrel and deer and turkey. I have a pantry full of rice, beans, canned meats, pasta. I know how to make bread and have both flour and grains to make flour. I have FOOD, so much food. I’ve spent a lot of time saving up that food. I prepare for times when we don’t have a lot, because that always happens. When it does, it doesn’t slow me down. It just changes some of my recipes. And that’s okay. I’m grateful for the ability to think ahead and plan in advance, and I’m grateful for the food I feed my family.
I am grateful. I have all of the above, plus friends, extended family, neighbors… Things might not go exactly as I want them to, but that doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. I am a blessed person, grateful for all that I have.