People have asked what it is like to transition from Haiti to the United States. I wrote the following while I was in Haiti but wasn’t sure how to publish it or how it was coming together. Now as I read it, with the TV going and drinking an ice cold glass of tap water, while working on my computer .....
I don’t have electricity but in the evenings I sit and talk for hours with friends and family.
I don’t have electricity so I am able to always get more than 8 hours of sleep.
I don’t have electricity so I have more hours to do things in my day, without distractions.
I don’t’ have electricity so I get to have a candlelight dinner almost every night.
I don’t’ have electricity so I appreciate it more when I find it.
I don’t have a washing machine but the woman that washes my clothes is grateful to have the work.
I don’t have a toilet so I never have to plunge it when it gets stopped up.
I don’t have a bathtub but I get to take a sponge bath everyday in the sunlight looking at the trees.
I don’t have a toaster and it makes me appreciate that heated bread so much more.
I don’t’ have a microwave but I get to sit and visit with Ti Madame while the coals heat our food.
I don’t have a stove but I enjoy finding creative ways of cooking and discovering what we can make.
I don’t’ have a freezer – no ‘but’ this time, I do miss ice, leftovers, and ice cream!
But it tastes so much sweeter then when I do have it!
The truth is we I don’t have electricity in Haiti or running water. But for me it makes me appreciate and love life so much more and also value my brothers and sisters more.
We should all try for a little simplicity in our lives.
