In yesterday’s post there’s a bit of the “poor me” syndrome going on. Not my favorite trait. I’ve shaken that off. How? Well, partially from the very kind comments. But partially because of a talk I had with some co-workers.

We were walking around the block, and laughing because I was tossing grapefruit peel, and admitting that at home I’d be saving it to scrape pith off, slice, and freeze to make candied peel. So the idea that my snack’s peelings could have been my buddies Christmas presents just cracked us up and in particular cracked me up.

Here’s the deal. If I’m in a funky mood I think, well, it's a gratuitous thing, an indulgent thing, to do this out of choice when so many are forced to by circumstance. But then, later, I think, the wonderful thing is that I’m doing this by choice. It is not disrespectful to the working poor to have this as a Challenge, it is respectful to myself and the earth and my fellow citizens. By not talking what I have for granted, I’m not taking what others have for granted either. I can very clearly see the value of a dollar, any dollar: whether it’s interest off an investment or from a tiny paycheck, it’s still a flannel pair of jammie bottoms from the thrift store.