Yesterday we decided we would go to a shopping centre further than ones close to home. That centre has bigger shops and more variety. This is the start of our fable of privilege.
At bed time I didn’t bother setting the alarm on my iPhone like I do when I have an early start. Ingrid and I planned to get as much sleep as we could. We hadn’t planned it but decided what time we were leaving when we were both up.
We took turns to shower then drove off to the mall. As we drove, we talked about the plight of Syrian refugees. We could only imagine what life is like for them at this moment. What kind of a future do they see?
At the mall… If the store we went into did not have what we sought, we ventured to another. Clothes, more clothes. Gadgets, belts, shoes and accessories galore. Spoilt for choice.
We couldn’t afford everything we wanted or saw. We’ll have to save, perhaps invest some money so we can get some things in the future. We got enough of what was within our reach. Finished off our excursion, had a cheap yet decent breakfast, then paid for our parking.
While on the freeway we texted friends and organised a meet up. We took a walk in a forest, had ice cream and now here I am writing. Before I started writing I was reading some of my favourite blogs from my lounge. I could have read from anywhere in the house because our wifi covers our entire house.
I’ll be making bolognaise for supper. I got our favourite ingredients and pasta after saying bye to our friends. (Did I mention I made roast lamb earlier this week?)
Ingrid and I are going to have quiet night at home. Bliss.
Our fable of privilege could also be yours. This could be a typical Saturday, or any day, for you also. The details may not be the same but it might not be difficult for you to relate. Maybe difficult. The truth is we (Ingrid and I), are privileged.
I have the best person to happen to me and she chose to spend the rest of her days by my side. We have resources. Not as much as we’d love or prefer, but we have some things. We need a new car, but we have one now. Though we’re not happy with it we have now to ‘complain‘ about.
We’re rich in friendship. I’m rich in access to information, knowledge or people who have it. Knowing someone who knows is helpful. I know a lot of people who know what I don’t or will need to. This is a glimpse into our world, our fable of privilege.
We’re not flippant with it. We take nothing for granted. Grateful.