On this day after Thanksgiving, I have been reflecting on just how good God has been to me. For some reason, I was reminded this morning of the age-old proverb: "I cried because I had no shoes, until I met a man who had no feet!"
In researching the origin of this saying (which I have discovered has been variously attributed to China, Persia, and Russia, among other cultures), I came across the following set of lyrics from a group known as 3LW (3 Little Women)*:
IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT ME
Everything always happens to me,
Stuck here in this traffic jam,
Accident on the side of the road,
It's making me late again.
No spaces in the parking lot,
Had to leave it in the safety red zone,
Couldn't of been more than a minute or two,
Came back and the car was towed.
Everytime I go crazy,
When I found little things get me mad,
I then stop and look around and realize,
My life ain't so bad.
Had no new shoes can't complain,
Until I met a man with no feet,
Thought I had nobody to make my house a home,
Until I saw a family living on the street.
I was shattered when you broke my heart,
But at least I got a heart to beat,
Now I finally realize,
It's not all about me!
Got a call about an old girlfriend,
Who kissed her kids and waved goodbye,
She had a real bad habit of taking a sip,
Before she put the car in drive.
Now she’s gone and wound up D.O.A,
Nothing left to say but why,
I had no idea it was her wreck,
I was impatiently trying to get by.
Everytime I go crazy,
When I feel the little things get me mad,
I stop and look around and realize,
My life ain't so bad.
Had no new shoes can't complain,
Until I met a man with no feet,
Thought I had nobody to make my house a home,
Until I saw a family living on the street.
I was shattered when you broke my heart,
But at least I got a heart to beat,
Now I finally realize,
It's not all about me!
The world won't stop revolving,
If I'm having a real bad day,
Sick of feeling sorry,
Join the rain on my parade.
Cause no matter how hard it gets,
Someone's always got it worst,
I can't forget I'm only one of five billion stories...
living on this earth.
Had no new shoes can't complain,
Till I met a man with no feet,
Thought I had nobody to make my house a home,
Till I saw a family living on the street.
I was shattered when you broke my heart,
But at least I got a heart to beat,
Now I finally realize,
That it's not all about me!
Normally, I do not listen to hip-hop music (for which 3LW is well known), preferring other genres of music instead. Nonetheless, I am struck by the powerful insight underlying these simple lyrics.
In truth, 3LW has produced a wonderful little reminder of just how blessed most of us are. And also of just how thankful we should be, especially at this time of year.
*Source: These lyrics can be found at:
http://www.metrolyrics.com/its-not-all-about-me-lyrics-3lw.html.
In researching the origin of this saying (which I have discovered has been variously attributed to China, Persia, and Russia, among other cultures), I came across the following set of lyrics from a group known as 3LW (3 Little Women)*:
IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT ME
Everything always happens to me,
Stuck here in this traffic jam,
Accident on the side of the road,
It's making me late again.
No spaces in the parking lot,
Had to leave it in the safety red zone,
Couldn't of been more than a minute or two,
Came back and the car was towed.
Everytime I go crazy,
When I found little things get me mad,
I then stop and look around and realize,
My life ain't so bad.
Had no new shoes can't complain,
Until I met a man with no feet,
Thought I had nobody to make my house a home,
Until I saw a family living on the street.
I was shattered when you broke my heart,
But at least I got a heart to beat,
Now I finally realize,
It's not all about me!
Got a call about an old girlfriend,
Who kissed her kids and waved goodbye,
She had a real bad habit of taking a sip,
Before she put the car in drive.
Now she’s gone and wound up D.O.A,
Nothing left to say but why,
I had no idea it was her wreck,
I was impatiently trying to get by.
Everytime I go crazy,
When I feel the little things get me mad,
I stop and look around and realize,
My life ain't so bad.
Had no new shoes can't complain,
Until I met a man with no feet,
Thought I had nobody to make my house a home,
Until I saw a family living on the street.
I was shattered when you broke my heart,
But at least I got a heart to beat,
Now I finally realize,
It's not all about me!
The world won't stop revolving,
If I'm having a real bad day,
Sick of feeling sorry,
Join the rain on my parade.
Cause no matter how hard it gets,
Someone's always got it worst,
I can't forget I'm only one of five billion stories...
living on this earth.
Had no new shoes can't complain,
Till I met a man with no feet,
Thought I had nobody to make my house a home,
Till I saw a family living on the street.
I was shattered when you broke my heart,
But at least I got a heart to beat,
Now I finally realize,
That it's not all about me!
Normally, I do not listen to hip-hop music (for which 3LW is well known), preferring other genres of music instead. Nonetheless, I am struck by the powerful insight underlying these simple lyrics.
In truth, 3LW has produced a wonderful little reminder of just how blessed most of us are. And also of just how thankful we should be, especially at this time of year.
*Source: These lyrics can be found at:
http://www.metrolyrics.com/its-not-all-about-me-lyrics-3lw.html.