Charmed Life

I lead a charmed life. Really, I do.

While 80% of the world lives on less than $10 a day, I happily blow double that amount in one lunch out.

25,000 children die every due to extreme poverty while my sons complain about bathing, eating their vegetables, and taking the icky medicine that they are prescribed when they're sick.

Nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their own name, but I spend my days agonizing over the many nuances of twenty synonyms for "beautiful."

Millions of women structure their entire lives on the collection of water (usually from sources that do not meet basic sanitary requirements). However, when I'm thirsty, I walk to the kitchen and turn on the tap. If I'm refreshed before the glass is empty, I pour it down the drain as if it's "only" water.

Half the world's population lives in cities. In 2005, one out of every three urban dwellers was living in slum conditions. Yet my ("tiny") home boasts four bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a gorgeous, green yard where my kids run and play.

1.6 billion people live without electricity. I often forget to turn off my lights.

It would cost 6 billion dollars annually to provide basic education for all. A staggering number, until you consider that Americans spend 8 billion dollars a year on cosmetics. I just placed an order with Mary Kay.

It's so easy sometimes to want what I don't have: a bigger house, nicer clothes, new furniture, a car that doesn't have a screechy heater, a vacation to some warm, tropical destination... The list could go on and on and on. But when I start feeling entitled, as if I deserve more, I'm in desperate need of a reality check. Just look at my beautiful home. It features cupboards full of food, air-conditioning when it's hot, heat when it's cold, warm clothes and blankets, a stocked medicine cabinet in case someone gets a headache, cough, or sniffly nose, electricity that works 24/7 365 days a year, running water that I use for everything from bubble baths to drinking, happy, healthy children, and even a spoiled dog. In the summertime, we sit beneath this pergola and indugle in wine, conversation with friends, and lazy stargazing...

There's no doubt about it. I lead a charmed life. Do you?

*Stats taken from www.globalissues.org.