Sometimes we have to work for the things we want.

Last week I really wanted some good French bread or just bread in general. It seems the bread here usually is a sweet bread and I was craving for that good buttery flavor. I decided to just make it myself. Of course I've made bread before but that was with my Bosch mixer which makes it so easy. I spent a few hours of my day mixing, kneading, waiting, kneading again, waiting, and then finally baking. This was the result.

As I was making this I thought of how easy it was to get what we wanted back in the States. If I wanted good bread, I could just jump in my car and knew right where to go to buy it. If I wanted my hair cut, I knew exactly where to go and could explain what I wanted. Anything I wanted I knew where to go and it was easy. Here, not so easy anymore. If I want something bad enough here I have to work hard to get it. Whether that means spending an hour on the metro to go shopping for clothes or an hour ride on a bus then another 30 minutes on the subway to get decent Mexican food or taking two hours to make bread.

We've had to give up a lot of modern conveniences and comforts to come here to China. Our nice home, furnishings, car, friends, and our family but I hope that our kids can learn something of more value here. The concept that not everything comes easy...if you really want something you have to work hard to get it.

China has really opened our eyes to how easy people have it back home. There may be hard financial times going on but that will someday pass. What is sad is seeing the poor and hungry on the streets. Seeing how hard these people work here and yet they have so little. The people here are so friendly and willing to help when they themselves don't have much.

So the next time you jump in your car to go get that loaf of French Bread...enjoy it and appreciate the fact that it didn't take you two hours to get.

Sometimes we have to work hard for the things we want.