Seat warmers.  Seat warmers are all it took.

Isn’t it funny how the littlest things spark the biggest thoughts?

Getting into my car yesterday, I was frazzled.  I left work worrying about the deliverable I just finished, annoyed that I had to stop for gas, exasperated that I had several loads of laundry to conquer, and frustrated that I chose to have baked sweet potatoes and tofu for dinner – a meal that takes about an hour to cook via the oven.  As I pulled out of my office’s parking lot watching big flakes float from the sky and cling to my window, I wanted to cry – what if it was still snowing during tomorrow morning’s run?  Feeling immense amounts of self pity, I mindlessly turned the radio to the nonstop Christmas station, and flipped on my trusty seat warmer.

As I pressed the button for maximum heat to begin frying my gluteous maximus, it hit me.  My display of righteous indignation was at best selfish, and at worst, appallingly ignorant.  Sure, I left work concerned about my deliverable, but at least I have a job.  I had to stop for gas and do the laundry?  At least I have money for gas and laundry detergent, not to mention warm, properly-fitting clothes.  My dinner was going to take an hour to cook?  Yeah, but at least I have access to hot, filling, nutritious food.  Oh, and it was snowing, HA; I have a car from which to watch the flakes swirl around me as I not only sit in the heat, but I even have my own personal toosh warmer!  Immediately, I was ashamed by my thoughts.

Through Challenge Detroit, I was fortunate enough to learn this week via the State of the Detroit Child that nearly one in four Detroit households has no access to a vehicle.  This does not mean that 25% of Detroiters don’t have a car with working heat, it means they don’t have a car at all.  As the snow hit my windshield, it also hit the faces, exposed hands, and maybe even the shoe-less feet of my neighbors.  I continued to think about this, and took a moment for gratitude.

What are you Thankful for this season?  My loving family, my good health, and my fortune at being selected to participate in Challenge Detroit all top my list this year.

As a few lingering flakes continue to fall today, my thoughts wander to how I can make an impact on those outside in the snow.  I think after posting this blog, I’m going to mosey over to the Salvation Army  to donate an old winter coat. It may seem trivial, but even small things can make a world of difference.