A friend of mine told me a story of visiting Kenya. He recently got back from an Outward Bound trip that spent part of their hike with Masai people. They have a particular word for the Westerners on adventures like this which translates into 'people who put a heavy load on their backs and go looking for problems.'
Humor aside, my friend and I talked about the tendency of materially well-off people to take trips where they deprive themselves of those comforts. Most of these are very modest deprivations -- sleeping in a tent, eating more packaged food.
The discussion turned to when these people return home. They (or we) are often so appreciative of what we didn't have. Sometimes we're offended by our own excess -- why do I need all this stuff? -- but we're also grateful to have clean water and warm shower in a way we didn't appreciate before we took our trip.
We agreed that is probably one of these reasons we do these things. It helps us re-value the important things. Those things grow ordinary, dull or invisible with everyday use. When those things and PEOPLE are absent for a period, we realize what's important again.
The discussion turned to when these people return home. They (or we) are often so appreciative of what we didn't have. Sometimes we're offended by our own excess -- why do I need all this stuff? -- but we're also grateful to have clean water and warm shower in a way we didn't appreciate before we took our trip.
We agreed that is probably one of these reasons we do these things. It helps us re-value the important things. Those things grow ordinary, dull or invisible with everyday use. When those things and PEOPLE are absent for a period, we realize what's important again.
One of my kids is away at camp for three days. His 8-year old sister wrote some notes to herself and hid them in her desk and bathroom drawer. They say things like 'remember how much you missed him when he wasn't here.' She told me she did this because next time she's mad at him she's thought this would make here rethink that.