Unite for Sight is an Angel

Would you wait over five hours in the hot sun, with little or no water, in a room full of mosquitoes, just to get your eyes checked? Could you even complete this task if you wanted to? I kept asking myself these questions as I helped pack up the equipment from my first day at a UFS outreach clinic. Over 160 men and women from Accra, waited patiently for the volunteers and Dennis, the ophthalmic nurse, to check their vision and determine a cause for the eye ailments. I was utterly amazed by the patience, respect, gratitude, and overall goodness of the people I saw. Not a single person complained about the hours of waiting. Not a single person whined about the money they had to pay for glasses or medication. Not a single person mentioned how hot or hungry or tired they were at the end of the day. Everyone just waited patiently until it was there turn, and then left a clinic with their new glasses, their eye drops, and a little bounce in their step because they were so grateful for what was given to them.

This entirely gracious, even-tempered, and calm spirit is one that is not easily found in America. We as a people often search for and find faults in so many things when we actually should constantly be grateful for all of the goods and services available to us in this country. Gratitude, humility, and kindness are all simple concepts, but difficult ones to live by daily. It is my challenge to myself to slow down and appreciate all of the many things I do have, even when everything is not perfect. It is difficult to appreciate the little things, when you are used to have so many great things; but even after living in Ghana for three days within quite simple means, I am learning what is actually important and necessary to survive and be happy. Is there anything else that really matters?