Lucky

I was with my daughter in the garden yesterday.

I watched her gorgeous skinny legs as she climbed on the slide. I sat with her as she “baked” some delicious (pasta flavoured) cupcakes. I chased her as she threw a ball around, squeeling with delight.

And I thought, “I’m so lucky”.

For all the early mornings, mountains of work deadlines, household duties and trying my best as a mum, life is actually pretty good.

I’m the worst when it comes to slowly drowning in my “To do” list, allowing myself to become so tired I collapse on my daughter’s floor in tears, or secretly thinking the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. So yesterday came as a bit of a shock.

Rather than mourning the fact I have a big feature due on Friday that I have yet to start, or getting stressed about some commercial copy due on the same day, or worrying about the radio show rundown sitting in my inbox, I smiled.

I planned what I would cook for our family supper (Spaghetti Bolognaise) and I hung the washing on the line.

Because, actually, all my own worries are minimal. They’re tiny. Microscopic in fact.

I can feed my daughter. I can top her up on snacks, water and her favourite “joose”. I have everything I need to help her thrive. I am lucky. So, so lucky.

I realised this when I was reading this post on Patch of Puddles about a campaign called #ShareNiger, to raise money and awareness about the food crisis in Niger.

The post features a video, filmed by World Vision, of Sian To (Cybher founder and blogger) talking to a mum.

This mum lives in a village in Niger. She has no food. This mum’s family of five is barely surviving on the small packets of cereal that World Vision has provided for her baby.

A family of five living on food for one baby. ONE BABY.

I can’t quite get my head around this. I look at the fridge full of food in our kitchen and the cupboards stocked full of yogurts, rice cakes, baked beans, fruit, veg… and it seems obscene.

Parents across the internet are teaming together, using their blogs, Facebook pages, Twitter accounts and the like, to try to raise money for women like the one Sian met in Niger.

So far, they’ve raised £2,500 in donations and pledges, which is enough to sponsor 9 children. Those 9 children will receive food, healthcare and education. It will, quite literally, save their lives.

I’m told the group is SO close to reaching sponsorship for a 10th child.

I would love to see that happen. Would you?

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To find out more about #ShareNiger, read this post at Patch of Puddles, or click here.