Princess Jenny

I'M BACK!!! IN AMERICA!!!

And let me just say: I feel like a princess.

Life is so easy here. Well, maybe not easy. We all have problems wherever we are in the world, however rich we are. But convenient. It's so convenient here. I got off the plane, met up with my beautiful mom and waited for my dad to circle around and pick us up and take us home. No public transportation at all!

Then when I got home, I had all sorts of welcome's waiting for me: my favorite Schnucks cookie cake (usually consumed at children's birthday parties), a 'welcome home' balloon, even a bouquet of flowers next to my bed. My tabby cat, Bonnie, seemed to think that my homecoming was too good to be true. And then my older sister Emily showed up and I was reunited with one of my best friends! We sat at the kitchen table just talking and talking and talking about me, Me, ME!

Thus, I have come to the conclusion that I am a princess.

And then --I have to admit it-- one of the most magical moments was when I opened the closet door in my room and was reunited with all my clothes! Clean, cute, clothes. Expensive clothes. Colorful clothes. Coats from England and vintage dresses from Carolina, belts, headbands- all sorts of nonsensical clothes that you would only wear if you aren't planning on getting your hands dirty.

Ok, I know what you are thinking. You're thinking is in one of two camps. Either you are bracing yourself for a lengthy soapbox about poverty and white guilt or you are thinking that I'm playing up my economic position a little bit. Well, this ain't no guilt trip. Yes,  I just came from a place where many people live in poverty. And yes, there is totally unfair inequality in the world. And anyone reading this is on the lucky side of that inequality. But that doesn't mean  we have to feel guilty all the time. I just think we need to be aware of our riches.

Growing up I thought oh, I'm normal, I'm middle class, everyone has as much as I do. Not so. Even by American standards I would say that I am disgustingly spoiled. I just went to Uganda! I have way more of everything than I need.

And yet, we live in this entitlement culture. With everything available at the press of a button we sometimes forget how wonderful our lives are. We get bored. In the words of that famous comedian talking to Connan "Everything's Amazing and No one's happy." It's sad. Because even with all the money and luxury and technology that we have, we generally don't have a life style of happiness. Ugandan's are fond of putting religious mantra's on the back of their taxi vans. Things like "God is Good," or "God is with us all the time" or even "God's Plan 3" (what?). But one of the best mantras I ever saw on the back of a taxi was "The rich cry too."

So there they are in Uganda, totally poor, but with a gross national happiness value that I would hazard to guess is higher than ours, reminding themselves that even wealth cannot cure pain and sadness. We shouldn't be happy because we are wealthy. We should be happy because we are alive. And we should be grateful for everything.

I don't know, I just think its kind of amazing. I don't need to feel guilty about the inequality of the world- I didn't create the system- but I do need to do something about it. Even if its small. And I do need to be mindful of my blessings and my opportunities.

My sister directed my to a quote that I really like:

"If your daily life seems poor, do not blame it; blame yourself that you are not poet enough to call forth its riches; for the Creator, there is no poverty." -Rilke


No poverty. No quota on happiness. No limited stockpile of joy. Its there for the taking. And in my world of bounty with food and clothes and technology, but most especially family and friends and love, I am a princess.

And I am a poet.