Are you taking things for granted?

I want to take this opportunity to thank you for reading what I am writing and are about to write. 

So, are you taking things for granted? 

Often times we fail to appreciate the little things we encounter in our lives. It's not that we are too proud or selfish, it's just at times we don't think much of the little things that happen to us, and as such contribute positively to our development.

I met a lady, she was selling me boiled maize, and could not stop talking about a disaster that befell her neighbor. According to the grapevine, the lady in question was poisoned by her house help. I immediately asked her what made that girl poison her boss. She shrugged and said 'I am not that maid, but given how much that woman mistreated her, the poor girl was bound to snap.'
It is weird that growing up we are taught courtesy. Most parents expect their children to say thank you, to help with house chores, to listen, and to understand that the world is full of people and opportunities.

What happens when we grow up? Where do we go wrong?

I would say, like my friend Grace does- "Life happens."

Well, if life happens, why do we lose focus of what makes us humane?

I am yet to figure this one out, but sometimes the person you think so little of and fail to appreciate is the one who means the most to you.

The one who spends their time serving you is the greater of both of you.

I thought about this in relation to suicide having lost a friend this year- and guess whose work brought me some clarity- Victor Hugo.

Yes, the man who is famously known for Les Misérables . And somewhere in that novel a character says " die, so be it, but don't make others die...suicide is restricted. As soon as it touches those next to you, the name of suicide is murder."

Shocking how connected we are.

I remember telling a friend once as she complaining about how much of a pain her Dad is- that she is lucky to have him around and that he is actively taking part in her nurturing. Just because he doesn't want her going out every night to clubs, does not mean that he's the devil. It means he loves and is terribly afraid of what might befall her in the arms of a drunk boy- because he was once a boy and can recall how much it took him to control himself around girls in his twenties!

So, whatever you deem insignificant might just be the one thing that if it were taken away from you- the gap it leaves will never be filled.