Ack! Has it really been 5 weeks since I last wrote? *sigh* Hang on a sec, while I hang my head in shame...............................................................................................................all right, I’m back. My goodness, where has the summer GONE?

Looking back, it appears that the summer has been one of work. Working on the house, working out, working, working on other peoples computers, as well as my own. I’ve had the subject of this entry bouncing around in my head for a bit, but finding the time to sit down and put it to keyboard has been a challenge. Even now, it’s 12:30 a.m., and I just got home from work. Mmmmm....guilt....what a wonderful thing! *chuckle*

All too often in todays world, people fail to consider what is beyond their immediate reach and gratification. Always a life of “Go! Go! Go!”, but never a moment to spend on introspection. It’s difficult for one to become a better person, if one does not have the time to reflect upon, and learn from the past.

Look at the monitor that you’re reading this on. A necessity on one hand, and yet also one of convenience. But how did it get to where it sits before you now? Who put it on the store shelf, so that you could purchase it? Who unloaded it from the truck when it arrived at the store? Who was the driver that delivered it to the store? Who was the person who loaded it on the truck? Who packaged the product so that it would safely arrive in your home? Who tested the product to make sure that it was o.k. to ship? Who assembled the product? How many different places did the various parts for the product come from, to finally be assembled into the monitor that sits before you now? Where were the materials mined from, or created, so that the individual parts could be made, and in turn that the monitor could be produced?

The world may seem big, but it is indeed very small, when you consider how many different hands from around the world were involved in creating, and getting your monitor to where it sits before you now. Unfortunately, too many people nowadays fail to take a moment to fully appreciate the time and effort put into any number of products that make our lives easier, or more enjoyable.

The next time you purchase something, take a moment to appreciate, and offer a silent ‘thank you’ to all of those who have made it possible for you to purchase that product, whether it be for necessity, convenience, or just simple enjoyment. While it may have been purchased by you for one of the aforementioned reasons, that purchase contributed to the livelihoods of many people.

So go ahead and give yourself a ‘thank you’. I’m sure that if all of those who contributed to the product that sits before you now thought about it, they’d realize that you are just as important to their livelihood, as they are to your convenience and enjoyment.

And now, it being 1 a.m., I am going to fully appreciate all of those who made my bed possible. : ) Until next time.