It's this story that finally prompted me to start the blog I've been envisioning for quite some time. African women, while rich in culture and sense of duty, fall to the lower regions of the humanity scale.
As described, the woman featured in report chews on a twig, after she divides up the family's modest amount of food among two dozen children and her husband. Like most mothers, her motto is that the children come first. Even after "indulging" in her small portion of the only meal she'll eat that day, she takes only a few bites and then offers the rest to her family. She's quoted as saying, "I'm not hungry."
The problem is that there is little work. What's available pays very little and is physically taxing. The price of food and supplies has skyrocketed. A family that once ate three adequate meals a day can now only afford, basically, tasteless gruel.
It's glimpses into other's lives that put my own in perspective. This morning, as I read that article, I sipped on a lovely cup of tea and ate a banana. Thirty minutes prior, I chatted with my husband about how the astronomical gas prices have, indeed, affected my daily life. No more whimsical trips to the library, Target or beach. No sirree. I'm only out driving my SUV to spend our disposable income a few times a week. And while I'm at it, let me tell you about how my thighs and belly are too big. I have talked several times to a friend of mine who is having a cosmetic procedure to have her varicose veins erased, planning on following suit. I'm sheepishly writing this. It's almost shameful given the absolute lack of necessity that is reality for so many.
Yep, life is good. It's damn good. Now if only I can think of a way to nicely wrap that article and this post into a sentence that will politely remind myself and those around me when we get too wrapped up in problems that would only seem like a luxury to many.
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