It’s time to talk about gratitude. My friend repeated a comment about the world being filled with middle-class writers writing about middle-class problems. This blog falls into that category. And while I won’t try to minimize the moments of loss or serious health challenges or great disappointments that I experienced in the last two or three years, I want to give thanks for the incredible amount of abundance in my life.

It wouldn’t be truthful to say I have not or will not complain. The goal, though, is to look at life and be grateful for the joy in my life – and there is much joy. The following list contains items that are familiar to everyone reading this blog. We read or hear this list so many times in our lives that we consider it a cliché. Some things are too personal to share in a blog, so please excuse the lack of detail. But I ask you to stop and consider blessings in your own life.

First, and never to fall from the top of my list, are my family and friends. Very often, I wonder if I deserve all these people in my life, because I’m not sure I am a good sister/daughter/mother/friend. Yet they rally around me with love and help whenever I need them. There are family members and friends experiencing some terrible blows and I’m far away from them. I can’t hug them right now, but I hope they know that they are in my thoughts every day.

To say that health is a blessing is an understatement. Good health is a luxury. I say that because I have insurance and the money to pay for treatments and drugs. My allergies are managed due to years of monthly desensitization shots paid for partly with insurance. The retinal surgery that saved my eyesight racked up thousands of dollars. Even though I had to pay quite a bit, the insurance covered most of it. These are on top of the annual checkups, the physical therapy sessions for injuries, and the miracles of modern medicine that I take for granted. Without insurance or the money to cover other payments, I would not have the energy or mobility to travel.

This is an exceptional time in my life when everything came together so that I can see the world. Money, health, and time are on my side right now. I continue to feel the support of my family and friends, while I experience the generosity and kindness of new friends. My problems are minor compared to what others must endure. I do not have to worry about feeding or clothing my family. I might not have a home at the moment, but I have warm and comfortable places to stay. Health is not a worry. My country and its government are stable. I have my children in my life. My worries are the problems of someone who has her basic needs met. There are plenty of people who would be happy to have my problems.

There is a downside to writing this type of blog. It requires a first person approach. In many ways, focusing on “I” is dangerous. It becomes a habit to think only of how things affect me or how my writing and conversation reflect on me. I need to recognize this flaw so that I learn to see beyond myself. This trip is about discovery. Each leg of my journey gives me more reasons to be grateful for the things in my life.

The downside of moving from place to place is that I isolate myself from a community. I miss being involved. When I left Oxford, it felt like leaving home again. In just a few weeks, I began to feel part of the community and I cared about that community. I don’t know where I’ll live when I get back to the United States. I hope I find my Oxford there soon, because I want to belong to a community where I can get involved again. I want to make sure that others are so well off that they share my “problems’. What a great life that would be!