I went out of my way the other day to swing by Whole Foods and pick up some organic blueberries, only to discover that they were out. I hate when I go to the store for one item and that happens to be the one item they don’t have! Annoyed I grumbled back to my car and drove to another market, they were out too. Now I’m pissed off, but determined. Trader Joes perhaps? Nope, nada. It seems that organic blueberries were M.I.A.

You see blueberries are one of my all time favorite foods, and my morning oatmeal is just not the same without them. This is why I spent an hour driving all over town trying to hunt them down.  Sounds crazy? Well, yes I’ll admit it’s a little crazy, I’m just a tad bit picky when it comes to my food. Why not just buy conventional you might wonder? Because conventional blueberries (and strawberries) are absolutely drenched with pesticides, and they soak them all up. You are actually doing more harm to your body then good by eating nonorganic blueberries, because the toxins from the pesticides completely counteract any antioxidants that might remain in that fruit. Now I’m not a complete organic snob. There are plenty of foods that I do not bother buying organic, but blueberries are non-negotiable for me. Now back to my search…

As a last ditch hope I stopped by Publix, but they were no where to be found. Disappointed I decided I would have to settle for a bag of frozen organic blueberries. I like frozen blueberries for smoothies but not for my oatmeal, they alway get mushy and never taste the same. But alas, they would have to do. I approached the cash register with my $5.00 frozen bag feeling defeated, and got in line behind a mom and her young daughter. I noticed that they happen to be paying with food stamps, and then it hit me like a ton of bricks, I was being a complete stuck up a**hole!

Here is this family that is obviously struggling a bit and I am getting myself all worked up over blueberries! Poor me I have to use frozen blueberries in my oatmeal tomorrow, how will I survive?. When did I become such a snob?  Clearly I had a case of  Rich People Problems.

Now to me I am no where near rich! I’m a full time graduate student taking out a ton of student loans. But I do have my own apartment, a car, health insurance, clothes in my closet, and food in my fridge. Not to mention clean water and electricity. Yes I grocery shop with a strict budget, but one that’s ample enough to provide me with organic produce. And while I feel that things are pretty tight for me financially, compared to two-thirds of the world  I am actually considered rich. And considering that 17,000 children die of starvation every day, my little blueberry incident seems absurd.

That night I really began to think about how much abundance I have in my life. It is so easy, especially in the Western world, to get swept up into not having enough. And I don’t think that there is anything wrong with wanting an affluent life. But we tend to get so wrapped up in the wanting that we don’t realize what we already have. I don’t think a week goes by that I don’t bitch and complain about money. Poor me, I can’t afford a new pair of boots this year, I don’t have enough saved up for that Vitamix that I’ve been wanting, I’ll have to wait till my upgrade to get the iPhone 5 at a discount… I could go on and on. But lets face it, if the biggest inconvenience of my day is that the grocery store is out of organic blueberries, I think I’m doing ok.

In fact I am doing more then ok. I have all my basic needs met and then some. As I write this blog on my Mac lap top, sitting in my new chiropractic approved office chair, and drinking purified water, I realize that I am quite blessed. Perspective is everything! So the next time I’m upset because I can’t get my favorite flavor of Kombucha tea I’m hoping that I’ll remember the phrase “rich people problems” and graciously come back to reality. A reality where I am safe, well taken care of, and abundantly grateful!

So fess up, what are your rich people problems? Where have you been annoyed where you should have been grateful? Try shifting your perspective to see how blessed you truly are.