perspective

Last month my book club read What is the What by Dave Eggers. This incredible book, about one of the Lost Boys of Sudan who endured the most unthinkable atrocities before coming to America, still occupies my thoughts, particularly through the pettiness and misunderstandings that often seem to rule the day.

Surviving murderous rebels, an exterminating corrupt government, thousand-mile walks through the desert, starvation, lion attacks, refugee camps, massacre and every other type of horror, this Sudanese refugee ends up in Atlanta working at the reception desk of a health club. And this is one passage that really gets me:

A new woman enters the club, someone I have never seen. She is white, very large, exceedingly graceful. She looks startled to see me.

"Hello," she says. "Haven't see you before. What a wonderful smile you have."

I try to frown, to seem hard-hearted.

"I'm Sidra," she says. "I'm new. I've only been here twice before. I'm, you know, making some changes." She looks down at her girth shyly, and I immediately feel that I should say something. I want to make her feel better. I want her to feel blessed. To be here now, to be alive as she is, to have lived always in this country, Sidra, you are blessed.

We all have troubles. And most of the time they are nothing compared to what the rest of the world is suffering. We have no idea how lucky we are. Just to be here, alive, in this country, we are blessed. It is far too easy to forget. I'm thankful to Achek Deng for helping me remember.