Perspective

If you ever catch me complaining about my "troubled" life, please remind me that there are others who are way less fortunate than I am.  This is something that hit me twice tonight as I drove home from my sound gig.

First was when I gave some spare change to a young kid asking for money at a gas station.  I'm pretty certain he was on something and that he wasn't going to spend the money on food and shelter like I had hoped.  As I was about to drive away I hesitated, then decided to get out again to give him the bag of leftover vegan chili someone had given me earlier.  Could I have done more?  Deep down, he had a good heart - I could feel it.  I wish I had looked him in the eye, truly connected with him, and let him know that I cared about his well-being.  But I felt uncomfortable and avoided eye contact.  Maybe next time I will be braver.

Second, while sitting at a stop light on Gerrard Street in Regent Park I heard what sounded like a gunshot up ahead.  My heart raced!  I quickly drove on when the light turned green, ready to duck or speed up at the first sign of more fire.  I can only imagine what affect this has on those in the middle of this kind of environment every day.  It must be so disheartening.

These things happened while returning home after making money using a sound system that I own, doing something I truly love.  I discovered two amazing musicians that I wasn't familiar with (Karen Savoca & Pete Heitzman), and found more inspiration for fueling my desire to get serious about playing music again.  To top it all off, when I walked into the hallway outside my new apartment, my generous and kind landlord had created the perfect spot for me to store my gear.  After a week of having it clutter up my tiny space I am truly grateful to him.  And after what I learned tonight, I no longer have a reason to gripe about how small this place is.  It's a home.  Not everyone is lucky enough to have one.

I know we all have legitimate complaints and concerns in life, but perspective, is a good thing.