A New Perspective

I don’t know about you, but the past few months, the things going on in the world have made my heart heavy. First with the happenings in Afghanistan, and now with the war in Ukraine, the horrors that these people are facing are unthinkable.

They are literally fleeing their homes with only the clothes on their backs.

Everything they’ve ever known is being destroyed. People are dying. It is absolutely tragic and heartbreaking. It takes your breath away, and not in the good kind of way.

But I will tell you something, those people, even though they have lost everything, they have something that we don’t. And that is perspective.

They know what’s truly important in life.

When you’re in a situation where you have two seconds to get out of your house and run for your life, what do you do? You don’t grab anything material. You take your family and go.

Because all those material things can be replaced. But human life? That’s something that is irreplaceable.

I think so often in our busy lives, we forget that. We’re so busy chasing the next best thing, that we forget why we’re doing it, and who we’re doing it for.

We mean well, but somewhere along the line, our good intentions become buried in a pile of possessions, mile long to-do lists, and overbooked schedules.

So what if we refused to succumb to the standards our culture sets? And instead of focusing on all the stuff we own or all the things we need to do, we stopped for a second and focused on the people around us?

It seems like such a small thing, but if everyone started to do this, just think of the ripple effect this could start.

How to Help Ukrainian Refugees

In situations like this, it’s hard. Because we’re so far away, but we want to do something to help. But how do you help people who are in a war zone so far away?

The first, and probably best way to help is monetary donations. I’m not going to tell you where to donate your money. You can decide where you think your money would best help. But if you’re able, consider donating money to your charity of choice.

Another way to help (and this will also help you with simplifying/decluttering) is to donate items from your home. There are many places collecting bedding, towels, blankets, clothing, toiletries, food, and baby items for refugees.

I bet if you do a quick search, you can find a place near you that is accepting donations to send to the Ukrainians. Many of them have lists of things they’re accepting. Look around your home, and see if you can find anything you no longer need and use that someone else might desperately need.

You can declutter your home AND help people in need at the same time!

We are so very fortunate and privileged. I think sometimes we forget how lucky we are.

But then we turn on the news and see people whose country is literally being torn apart. Their homes are being destroyed and they are fleeing for their lives with nothing more than the clothes on their back.

Suddenly we realize what is truly important in our lives.

I hope this gives you some food for thought. And if you feel moved to help, consider donating whatever you can.