Putting it into Perspective

I'm listening to the State of the Union address right now.

Why am I listening?

One of the big reasons I'm listening is that I'm one of those people that feels the need to be informed. I wanted to hear what was going to be brought up. What are Obama's priorities? What will he name? What does he want to address? Those are things I want to hear. I'm also a fairly liberal guy. I voted for Obama. I still want to see his priorities succeed, mainly because they are also my priorities.

But something else is happening as I listen. I think that I've been feeling down lately. It seems like there are constant problems, chipping away at my energy to make a focus. I thought that no one cared about the same things that I did. I felt incredibly weighed down by burdens. But as I listen to this address, I realize that my problems don't seem so bad when I listen to what others are working on.

I'm certainly not a young woman in Afghanistan struggling to go to school. I'm not one of those unemployed people, wondering if I'm going to get another paycheck. I'm not a victim of earthquakes in Haiti, hurricanes in New Orleans, or even the cold of Minnesota (because I have a nice warm house to live in).

I am blessed, and I think I needed to hear President Obama talk about what's going on out there to make me realize it.

For that, I say "thank you".

Thank you to teachers who help bring people out of poverty by providing education. Thank you to volunteers who give time and talent to organizations that helps those most in need. Thank you to social workers who spend time with people that most of us want to avoid. Thank you to military personnel who struggle and fight in foreign lands to keep us safe in our own land. Thank you to clergy who provide spiritual guidance through the daily struggles of life. Thank you to police officers and firefighters who keep us safe at home. Even thank you to politicians who work for a better society.

Thanks. Your work sustains my work.