lucky me

an average balinese makes about $2.00 us dollars a day

i had truly come to enjoy hilton's company. he was quite the extraordinary nomad, continued to exceed all of my expectations, and yet still seemed a bit more lost than i. but i'm only speaking in terms of a normal everyday life type of "lost." he may not have been ready to embrace the concept of a traditional family lifestyle and wasn’t quite ready to succumb to the pressures of it, but he had more insight into the world than any law or medical degree could buy. his outlook was far more broad than mine and his ability to think outside the box was greater than anyone i had ever met before. quite honestly, for hilton, a box just didn't even exist.

amongst our conversation i had mentioned the current room condition that i had been subjected to. i was paying 15 american dollars a night to stay in a room by myself, which is great. but the shower was cold, the sheets a bit sketchy and i was intruding on a certain gecko's lodging facilities.

he looked at me, took a swig of his bintang and thought before he made his response.  i know he didn't want to offend me, therefore he was trying to choose his words wisely. i understood that it would only take a quick glance for one to assess me to know that i wasn't exactly living the lifestyle i was accustomed to, no matter how rugged i looked.

"you know shannon, more than half of the world lives in conditions worse than the rooms you and i are staying in. and that is their everyday lifestyle, there is no escape to america for them. possibly those thoughts will help you sleep better at night."  he made his point quite clear, and there was no reason to further the discussion. i know he didn't mean it, but even with that charming accent of his, the comment was a cold slap in the face.

i went to sleep that night, smiling at the gecko on my wall, and thanked the world and whatever god was listening for the roof provided over my head.

xoxo – ShannonSmile