Precious moments

Our lives are filled with precious moments, but often we're so busy we don't have the time to notice, and that is makes them so rare. Sometimes we're sad and lonely, and that takes the joy away as well. But life makes so much more sense if we look at what we have, instead of what we're lacking. I have always marveled at how the fingerless and toeless leprous of Zinder can possess such genuine and immense joy. I am not kidding when I say that we - "the developed" - have a lot to learn from the poor.

So take a moment. Look around and see all the things you have to be grateful of. Spend some time with the people that matter. Listen to what others have to say. Do something for someone else that you think will make a big difference in his/her life. You'll be surprised at how much you gain from it yourself.

We only live once, and although we seem to be spending most of our time chasing that outstanding dream that is meant to give us the recognition we've been wanting for so long, it's in fact the little things that count and that add up to a life filled with satisfaction.

One day when walking through the market of Zinder, I will stop by and ask the leprous how come they are always so cheerful. Perhaps they will not know why, but there is a chance that they will give me a seemingly unlogical answer. Why? Because it will probably be very existentialistic and very simple; and the world I was born into doesn't care for simple answers.

But once you've met the lepers, you will go through life wondering how people whose hands and feet are withering away can possess such genuine joy. You will look for the small things that make life so valuable; and once you've found it, you'll will not understand how you could ever do without. That, to me, is life quality, built on seemingly simple little precious moments that add up and give my life meaning and joy.

And just imagine: it's there for everyone.

Ishtar