housing woes.

so lately i have been a bit dissatisfied with out apartment.

my complaints are many.

its old, it has a natural stubborn STINK

the dishwasher fills up with moldy water

at least once a day, emitting a putrid smell.

and obviously i can't wash my dishes in there.

i don't have enough money to decorate it the way i want

{or the time}

my kitchen is fun size.

and my landlord is THE WORST.

well today as i was bathing myself in self pity,

i had a smack in the face realization....

my woes are smaller than others' woes

i was brought back to this place.

and these people

do you see those grins spreading about as far as grins spread?

those grins don't come from having nice apartments

or nice anything.

they come from being content with the life they have.

truly content, truly full of joy

they are essentially possessionless

yet they possess some special traits that very few people in this world possess.

happiness, selflessness, humility.

compared to unsatisfied, selfish, pride that is so much more prevalent in this world.

and look at me, i fall into the latter category.

way to go kerri.

how would you like to live in this?

or how about a small room of cement for 5 children and a mother like this one?

this is actually QUITE spacious compared to most living spaces in uganda

i met several families who were living in a house the size of MY fun size kitchen

that i was shamefully complaining about earlier...

thats just my cooking space.

not the entirety of my living quarters.

anyways, the majority of the world

especially in this country

is so obsessed with technology

and having everyTHING

that the neighbors, the friends, and the celebrities have.

we need to focus on people. on love.

on the feelings that make this world go round

and that make happiness possible in even the worst physical circumstances.

take it from her. and the rest of them. 

i wouldn't believe it if i didn't see it.

those smiles that can light up the world

proves that happiness does not have to born of money

or of things.
my woes are certainly different than theirs.
and that is humbling.
i talk about some other humbling experience in uganda here and here and here 

no more complaining about apartments that aren't five star here.