While I was working out yesterday (a few miles on the elliptical), the national news was on the TV in front of me. I couldn’t hear what was being said, but I could see it. The story was about the fallout of war and drought in portions of Somalia. The focus was on the children affected and the lifesaving care they required. I’m not always sure what to feel or do in these moments. I imagine you are the same.
A thought occurred to me: I’d like to live and talk in a way that recognizes this reality. It’s not about guilt. It’s about situating the whole of my life in its proper context.
I am someone who wakes up to a warm bed and coffee, with a family who seems to mostly enjoy me and a job that, among other things, puts me in daily contact with rather remarkable people. Sometimes, I drink some bourbon with my brother-in-law and enjoy the occasional cigar. I work out. And, I do this regularly in a world where others will never experience such luxuries.
I don’t think this makes me a bad person; it makes me a person who should walk with more empathy and generosity, with less fear and anger than I often do. Can I, an educated and middle-class American, move through life with a baseline awareness that quietly nudges all my thoughts and actions in the direction of grace? Yes.
At Foster Group, the most important thing we do is help our clients have peace of mind. The planning, investing and conversations that lead to peace of mind vary from client to client. The benefits, however, are similar: contentment, gratitude and hope. The thoughts above are an attempt at creating the same. A more thankful heart. A deeper sense of internal peace. Patience, courage and kindness in the face of an always uncertain and uncontrollable future.
Although I will continue to feel that I don’t have enough, thankfully I do. Although I will continue to worry about what the market is doing, thankfully I will go home tonight with more certainty than most of my fellow human beings. Although there will be people who have power I wish didn’t, they will most likely have little effect on my day-to-day existence (unless I allow them). Thankfully, it will be OK.
Happy Thanksgiving.