I Get To...

As the days and weeks go by I sometimes forget to stop and appreciate what I have. The things that I take for granted. The things that I assume.

I ran across this blog, a documentation of a group's trip to Kenya, and it made me stop everything and truly realize what I have. No matter how shocking these photos are, I am sure that they do not do the places justice, do not even begin to portray the level of poverty. This is their every day reality.


Some time ago I read somewhere about the perspective of “getting to” versus “having to”. It truly makes you put everything into a completely different perspective and opens your eyes to a world of possibilities and appreciation.


When the alarm goes off at 5:50 am I pray for five more minutes of sleep and pull the covers tighter. I should be praying that I am so very thankful to have a steady job when so many others are unemployed.

I have to get up for work…I get to get up for work.

When I have to do laundry because the clothes no longer fit in the laundry basket I sigh and try to fit one more pair of socks underneath the lid. I should be grateful that I have clothes to wear and the ability to do laundry when there are others that have little clothing and no running water.

I have to do the laundry…I get to do the laundry.

When the counters need to be wiped down, the dishes put away, and the floors swept I sometimes procrastinate and push it off for another day. I should realize that I am blessed to have a home when others live on the streets or in slums.

I have to clean the house…I get to clean the house.

Then there are things that I assume. Assumptions I have had since before I could understand what they meant. Things that I assume will happen at some time in our lives…and when I realize that these things are not assumed, not guaranteed, that it may not happen, my entire world seems turned upside down. Nothing is guaranteed, not the availability of groceries, clean running water, our loved ones by our sides.

Was I so naïve to not even consider that I could have a different path set out in front of me? What if I don’t like the path? Why do others get a different type of path, a smoother path that is paved and straight…or a path that is curved and steep and scattered with debris?


My life is rich. I am blessed. I need to think with the “get to” attitude and forget the “have to” thoughts. I can still have dreams, I can still get hurt, I can still have bad days…but I get to live life and enjoy this extraordinary journey. It’s about making the most of my path.