The evolution of a mindset from appreciation to overwhelmed by excess is an interesting one. While I was hanging out in Africa, I started to think about how much I really appreciate the advantages I have here in the US and the standard of living we are afforded. My appreciation for these things was not born in Africa, but it definitely came full circle and exploded while I was there. Being and living in a place where electricity is scarce and safety is questionable gives an entirely different meaning to having unlimited hot showers after a long run outside and then staying up late reading.
Since being back, I have become less and less thankful for these things I have and more and more overwhelmed and fed up with the excess of it all. I don't need 18 different options of butter and butter substitutes. Nor do I need 29 varieties of pre-packaged spaghetti sauce. I will surely survive without a constant connection to the internet via my phone, and in fact, I sometimes think I would survive better without a phone period. When I look in the cupboards and see everything preserved and pre-packaged, I still get a little confused about what I am supposed to do.
Everything you could possibly imagine (and even some things you would never imagine existing outside a Sci-Fi novel) are casually and easily consumed here. I don't like it. I miss my simple life of living out of a suitcase, and I miss the challenge of every day living. (Remember when I had to figure out an alternative for brown sugar when I was trying to bake cookies in a questionable oven at an altitude that probably doesn't permit good cookie baking?) The constant learning and simplicity of the developing world have captured me and aren't going to let me comfortably stay in the US. I don't cry about it anymore, but I am still antsy with anticipation of when I can return to the simple life.
Since being back, I have become less and less thankful for these things I have and more and more overwhelmed and fed up with the excess of it all. I don't need 18 different options of butter and butter substitutes. Nor do I need 29 varieties of pre-packaged spaghetti sauce. I will surely survive without a constant connection to the internet via my phone, and in fact, I sometimes think I would survive better without a phone period. When I look in the cupboards and see everything preserved and pre-packaged, I still get a little confused about what I am supposed to do.
Everything you could possibly imagine (and even some things you would never imagine existing outside a Sci-Fi novel) are casually and easily consumed here. I don't like it. I miss my simple life of living out of a suitcase, and I miss the challenge of every day living. (Remember when I had to figure out an alternative for brown sugar when I was trying to bake cookies in a questionable oven at an altitude that probably doesn't permit good cookie baking?) The constant learning and simplicity of the developing world have captured me and aren't going to let me comfortably stay in the US. I don't cry about it anymore, but I am still antsy with anticipation of when I can return to the simple life.
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