A Lesson In A Memory

(A shot of two water containers taken at my Father's Village in Nyeri, Kenya.)

I always put myself through gratitude challenges as if I was competing in some game show, just to see where I'm lacking and perhaps maybe if I overlook the silver lining in many circumstances and adventures of life. I was looking through my photography album of when I was in Kenya earlier this year and all kinds of good vibes manifested. Looking at it was a bit nostalgic as I used to help my cousin Gatimo in the village fetch water from the river. Priceless experiences as a little kid at the time as I was living in America. I gazed at this photo and I felt the rocks I stepped on, the heat bouncing on my forehead as I was a passenger riding in a wheelbarrow showing all my teeth as I bounced up and down beaming with joy.

Flash-forward to now as a young man living in New York City, I'm around more water at my disposal than I can ever imagine using.  If I choose to shower excessively at any given time of day, I can. If I feel the urge to wash my hands as thoroughly as possible and for as long as I want, there's a faucet at arms length, same goes for water to drink, water for laundry, dishes and so.

Sometimes we dwell on the things that don't go according to the way we want them to, that we forget to be grateful for what we have, what we have easy access to, what makes our heartbeat.

Water is such a precious element of life. It's beautiful to take a step back and look at things for what they truly are. Life is gratitude and gratitude is life.

One love,
SM