Erm… This can’t be right…

So it’s a bit past ten and I’m sitting at the computer downstairs, blog-hopping the night away. It’s a cold night. And suddenly, Dog-a-doodle gets up from her nearby chair, where she had been sleeping for awhile, and goes upstairs. And I watch her climb the stairs and disappear out of view. I know where she went. She went to my room to sleep. On her own. And I’m still here downstairs! Now I know I may be babbling here, but that just isn’t right!!

Aren’t dogs supposed to be up all night guarding the house? And barking at random noises? Heck most dogs do all that outside the house! Mine used to sleep in the balcony, then moved into the living room during a rainy season and then due to her peeing under the stairway in the early mornings I had her sleeping in my room. That means that I’m often woken up at 3.30 in the morning where I have to stumble downstairs in a semi-conscious state and open the door for her.

The usual way it happens is that after dinner or around the time everyone goes to bed or when I’m done using the computer (which *sigh* is still not in my room) I go up to my bedroom to sleep and call Dog-a-doodle (my new roommate) along, who would get up from her chair where she usually sleeps after dinner and move to my rug. On cold days I cover her with an old shirt and tuck her in.

Now she just goes up to my bedroom on her own and goes to sleep, before me mind you, when I’m right here, all alone downstairs. I mean she is the dog of the house. That’s just not right, right?

Okay I just went up to check, and sure enough, there she was all snuggled up and fast asleep on my fluffy rug. I switch the light on and she opens her eyes lazily and gives me a “Can you not make too much noise, I’m trying to sleep” look. Me! I did the only thing I could think of; I tucked her in with the old shirt, switched off the light and came downstairs.  It is after all a cold night.

 

Give, and let live

So its about 7 in the morning and someone evil who had nothing better to do than call and wake me up out of my precious sleep said something which got me thinking.

Here I was, under 3 blankets, in embryo position, orbiting around a pillow that I was hugging for dear life, wondering how on earth people find it in themselves the will to get up at about five or six in the morning, have a shower, get dressed, and go to work. It’s so cold!! Yes yes, so I AM in Sri Lanka and I’m obviously whining about just a bit of cold which yes I know is nothing compared to what other countries are experiencing, but in my little bubble it’s cold ok!

But what I got thinking on was that hey I’m in bed, under three blankets, I don’t wake up early unless some horrid person calls me (which they always do) and when I DO wake up I’m in warm clothing, drinking a nice cup of something warm, having a nice warm meal and in a house where there is a nice bulbed-up Christmas tree. And then there are people out there who are sleeping on the pavement, with none of that, covering themselves up with whatever rags they have.

Not just people; families, children, dogs and cats. Without proper shelter. Without food. Without anything to drink let alone something warm. And we go out and spend, spend, spend and spend on Christmas presents and nice pretty things for ourselves not thinking for a moment that just one of those purchases could probably feed a whole family. A warm meal. In this cold.

Now I know this is not anything new or a sudden awesome thing that dawned on only me for the first time in the world, but I guess we forget how blessed we are and how much we have to be thankful for. And how much we need to give. We forget during the whole rush of life and complains about our little luxuries that there are people and animals out there who wish for food. Just a bit of food.

And how much can we really give? There would be no end to it if you tried doing it properly right? I don’t know, but I guess doing what you can would make a big difference.

I bought a tiny pair of antique-looking earrings yesterday with a turquoise stone set on each, a pair that I wanted quite badly, and that tiny pair means a lot to me. It’s just a pair of earrings, not even a necessity, but they mean a lot. Likewise, what little thing we can donate would I guess would mean a lot to someone who has nothing. A jacket, a meal, slippers, a book, a penny.

I’m nearing broke-ness and need to get so many other things before Christmas but I do have a lot of clothes and shoes that I can spare. It’s the least I can do but I guess it’s better than nothing. I need to wake up.