I know it’s pretty much cliche at this point, but the question a lot of us have been answering these last few days is, “what are you thankful for?”
It’s actually been an unusual question for me this season. Being back from India now for 3 weeks, I’ve still been processing a lot of what I experienced. A lot of my outward routines have remained the same, but the way I see life has been changed for good. Here’s a few things that I was surprised to feel gratitude for this year.
1. MY MINI-VAN. Yes, my manly dadwagon. I own the road with that thing. Here’s a picture of India’s version of the family minivan (yup, count ‘em – a family of 5) Among other things we saw on their “minivans” – a guy carrying 4 20-foot poles, one woman with 6 huge bags of rice, a guy w/ 8 propane tanks, 2 guys + 6 chickens, a family of 4 (with the 2-month old sleeping on mom’s shoulders).
2. ROAD CONSTRUCTION. Yes, it always starts at just the wrong time, and the “scheduled completion date” is really the 50%-done date. But my goodness, our roads here feel like silk to me compared to the motorcycle-sized potholes and bumpy dirt paths we were on in India. I’d never thought I’d say this, but thank you municipal governments for having maintenance budgets!
3. HAMBURGERS. okay, I admit it – I love my burgers. The last day of the trip, I get to Dehli International Airport and see a sign for McDonalds. YES! I get up there and on the menu is… McChicken, Spicy McChicken, and an Indian-curry McChicken. NO!
4. SHOWERHEADS. Bathing where we were in India essentially consisted of a water faucet (sometimes even hot water), a big bucket, a small bucket, and a bar of soap. When you think about it, it actually makes a lot of functional sense – very little water is wasted that way. And there’s nothing that revives the body and spirit in the morning like dumping a big bucket of cold water on yourself. BAM!
5. INDOOR PLUMBING. If you think about indoor plumbing and all that is involved with getting our yucks out of our house, it is a pretty amazing system. If you ever see us in person, ask us about the time we went to the bathroom in the wrong “room” in the hut. This is just too embarrassing to share on the internet.
6. WATER COOLERS. In the villages we visited, we often saw small women carrying big jugs of water around – on their heads or shoulders. Not only is my water safe to drink, it is so easily accessible. I remember whining to myself when the newly installed water cooler was on the far side of the office. Ha.
7. (since we’re on a roll with this water theme) DISHWASHERS, CLOTHES WASHERS, CLOTHES DRYERS. I’m pretty much spoiled by these amazing machines, and so are my soft, weak, fragile hands. Watching the women wash their clothes on a rock was amazing. Check out the video and think about the prospect of doing this every day of your life.
I’m thankful for the truth that I don’t need any of the above to be a joyful person – in fact, I don’t need much “stuff” at all. I’m thankful for the people in my life – I feel a renewed sense of honor for being a husband, father, son, brother, uncle, and friend to others. I’m thankful for the eye-opening experience I’ve been given in India – more than ever, I’m determined to work as smart and hard as I can to help transform the lives of 1,000,000 people trapped in unfathomable poverty to become self-sustaining.
Related Posts on Our First Trip to India
- We’re Going to India This Week!
- Day 1 | Good Timing
- Day 5 | Sunday Morning Run
- 5 Things Hard to Grasp About India
- Partnering with Mission India
- 7 Weird Things I’m Thankful For
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Indeed… going 25 miles in anything less than 40 minutes in the part of India I visited is amazing. At times, our driver had to rev the engine at 5000 RPM while idling to prevent the flood waters from going up the tailpipe.
But how much of the infrastructure is lack of property rights vs. excellency of municipal government?
indeed property rights is huge. and actually the whole legal system. we heard that there’s actually a “law” that says no more than 2 people are allowed to ride on a motorcycle at one time.
Chuckling at the memories this brings. I packed up my family of 6 and moved them to India for 4 months while I did some training. When we returned, the kids couldn’t think of a single thing they wanted for Christmas that year. We were RICH!
Yes, indoor plumbing, and sit-down toilets are a wonder.
On the flip side, the floor-level toilets make it easier to potty-train a 2 year old.
99marko – that’s a great story with the kiddos. so true – they’ll remember that trip for the rest of their lives. “stuff” and the next “new thing” become less appealing. I’m trying to figure out ways to get my kids (and myself!) out of the bubble of a bubble that we live in…
on a similar, but somewhat crass note, I heard that people in the countries with those type of floor-level squat-down toilets have little or no back problems. nothing like a short (hopefully), daily work-out to keep the back strong!
When were you back there?
Greatly enjoyed meeting you in Nagpur and reading about your experiences. We do have much to be thankful for. Studying Philippians demonstrates the need for thankfulness. Remember the greatest thing we should be thankful for, yet many of us soon take for granted, our salvation. Great blog, keep them coming.
Tim – thanks. It was great meeting you as well. Your life of faith and service is an example to us.
This is fantastic. I was in India for two months last summer… did you ever ride a bus while you were there? It makes you wish you were squished onto a motorcycle with four other people. Nevertheless, I did meet some wonderful people by riding the bus with them, even though we didn’t speak the same language. You could see the goodness in their eyes. My understanding of the word “community” will forever be changed because of Indian culture.
Touche. Solid arguments. Keep up the good work.