Perspective

I have been thinking most of the afternoon about whether or not to write a post about how I feel today. If I'm honest I will sound like a very ungrateful, brat, who needs a big dose of reality. Therefore, I have decided to be honest and write the the post for one single reason. So I can look back at this post and remember how stinkin' lucky I really am!!!!!

I'm sure you're all intrigued now...it's kind of like waiting to hear a good piece of gossip ;)

TODAY, I really missed:

Latte's, a car, AC, a place to take your kids while its raining, & AC :)

I was thinking to myself all morning that air conditioning, a latte, a car and a place to take my kids on a rainy would just make my day!! Then, i got really frustrated bc I didn't have those things here in Dominica.  So, I put the kids in the stroller and went on a walk looking for lizards. Banks loves lizards and she really needed something to do other than run around our cottage naked, her new fave past time, color, run around naked, help me make baby food, yoga and a 10 min workout video with mom.  We did all of this before 10:30 a.m. bc it was pouring outside and we all get up at 6 a.m.!!  So back to finding lizards...We found a few and even found another Mango tree with perfectly ripe Mango's that I needed for baby food. They were a little too high in the tree so mom and I found a stick and practiced hitting Mango's like pinata' out of trees. Banks was yelling..."good job Mommy"; "Way to go Nonnie". She told me the other day, after handing me a sticker to hold, that I was being her "Best Little Helper" and if I kept if up she would have a surprise for me!! I'm not kidding...She's pretty much hilarious!!

Back to the entitled American story...I was still so blah and all I wanted was to be clean, cool and energized, which I was none of today...blah, blah, blah...I told you I was going to sound like a totally spoiled brat who needed a reality check. Then I saw a blog post from one of my spouse friends here at Ross. It was about a beggar Dominican who asked her very kindly if she minded him going through her trash. This man was not homeless he merely had the mindset of "one's man's trash was another man's treasure". The thing that astounded me the most about the story was that while he was digging through the trash he was praising God for all of the bountiful things he was finding in the trash.  He was genuinely so thankful!! While reading I actually started to cry a little because I had just spent my morning yearning for a good coffee, AC, and a car.

Now, I know that in the U.S. those things are very normal and it wouldn't seem out of the ordinary, or even bratty to want. But  here in Dominica these things are simply luxuries that most people won't ever have.  Being thrust into a drastically different, economically struggling area sure can put a lot of things into perspective.

The way that we live here in Dominica is so above and beyond the way that a normal Dominican lives. I have seen homes literally made out of Bamboo and the dirt is there floor and that's pretty normal here! There are definitely people with nicer places but I would say, for the majority of the native Dominicans, their necessities in life are incredibly minimal compared to ours. And I'm sure you know what I'll say next... and they're HAPPY!!

This island is beautiful and so are the people. I am so thankful for our experience here. Truthfully, I am grateful for having a day like to today because I can't think of anything worse than living on this island and being sheltered from the island. I want to be reminded of all the things that are blessings in my life...my husband, my kids, my family, the opportunity to experience new things, people and places, and way to many other things to list...

Today reaffirmed the fact that coming to Ross and moving to Dominica was the right step for our family. I do believe that if we are open God will place us exactly where we need to be! I believe this is where we're suppose to be!!

On a lighter note :)

This was definitely a "Keeping Up with Amberly" post so to makeup for it!!!

Pictures!!!

 

...On our way to Banks' first tennis lesson, taught by me :) We encountered a little traffic jam...thanks to the lovely cows that live on the side of our  street that serve as lawn mowers!! I wish I had a better pic bc at one time there were 4 cows just posting it up in the middle of road with these seriously long ropes hanging from them. Only in Dominica :)

   Banks and I doing yoga while Eloise catnaps in her chair!! She even says "Namaste" :)

Love you all and miss you everyday!!

xoxo

the joneses