I am back from sunny Cuba – what an awesome trip. Actually still in my mind on the beach, enjoying everything that surrounded me there. The people in Cuba are some of the warmest and friendly people I have ever met. They do not harass you and are willing to share what ever they have with you even though they know that we as guests in their country are not in need. They are people that make the most of what they have, they enjoy life.
Sometimes we, in the western world forget. We forget to be thankful for the small things in life and focus too much on the larger issues. We should take time to reflect what is in front of us, be grateful and think of all the possibilities. Their is no limit what one can achieve if your mind is set in the right direction and be inspired by ones that have less than you.
I received this short piece from a friend, which I have read before but today it struck so true having just returned from my trip. I trust you too will feel different as I did when reading it.
One day, the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to
the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live.
They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be
considered a very poor family.
On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, “How was the
trip?”
“It was great, Dad.”
“Did you see how poor people live?” the father asked.
“Oh yeah,” said the son.
“So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?” asked the father.
The son answered:
“I saw that we have one dog and they had four.
We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a
creek that has no end.
We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night.
Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon.
We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go
beyond our sight.
We have servants who serve us, but they serve others.
We buy our food, but they grow theirs.
We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to
protect them.”
The boy’s father was speechless.
Then his son added, “Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are.”
Isn’t perspective a wonderful thing? Makes you wonder what would happen if
we all gave thanks for everything we have, instead of worrying about what
we don’t have.
Appreciate every single thing you have, especially your friends!
Pass this on to friends and acquaintances and help them refresh their
perspective and appreciation.
“Life is too short and friends are too few.”
