You Can Make A Difference As You Travel

So, we always want more. What about the billions of folks in the world that would love to have some or any. This is not a plea to feed the world hunger movement. However, this may provoke a little thought as it did with me.

Somehow, I get several TriviaHive questions emailed to me daily. I'm not quite certain how they began a few months back, but they've become fun, interesting and from time a bit of food for thought. I keep going back to one a few days ago. The information in the answer read "Did you get up this morning and grab a latte and muffin on your way to work? You may have already spent more than what 80% of what the world's population lives on each day. Yep. 80% of the world lives off of less than $10 per day. But half the population lives off of even less than that--$2.50! Now that's something to buzz about! Source: DoSomething.org".

As we were touring Fort Santiago, Portobelo, Panama, our tour guide began taking us through the poverty ridden village nearby. As we strolled to a nearby church and a few other sites in the village, a little girl of perhaps 5 or 6 years old, shadowed me. I had noticed earlier just how poverty stricken the area was and the conditions that existed. I'm sure that she was cautioned, because she never spoke a word to me until prompted. I would glance at her and she would simply hold up a wrist band made of wooden beads, offering them to me. I'm not sure whether they were made locally or imported from a foreign country like Taiwan or China. Somehow, it really didn't matter. I asked her how much money and in a nervous yet confident voice informed me that it was a dollar. I handed her a 5 dollar bill as she handed me the wrist band in exchange. She then began to offer change when I softly said no, shaking my head a little from side to side. She went running off shouting mama, mama to a rather tired but happy looking lady sitting not too far away with a huge smile on her face. That little girl was so happy, you would have thought that I handed her a hundred bucks or so. Perhaps in retrospect, I did.

As you travel, I hope that you can make a little girl or boy happy for a day. It may change their life. At least provide a brighter outlook on life. Please make a difference.

Look around, if you have "something", "anything", you may want to pause, be grateful and thank your maker.