What is poverty?

I had a very interesting conversation today. I had to explain to someone what poverty is. The conversation made me pause because it dawned on me that people may on one hand understand and perhaps even accept the space they are in but they may not define themselves the same way the larger population does.

How do you define poverty? Is it a state of being or a state of mind?

I would initially have said a state of being because people have 'pulled themselves out of poverty' by recognizing their situation and refusing to stay in it.

Then there are others who may simply accept where they are as being impoverished and feel helpless to the forces around them that they are unable to find a way forward. I read a very touching story about a woman who dreamed big and slowly but surely found a way to make her dreams a reality. The African woman featured was part of a larger story which looked the millions of women who are subjected to unspeakable cruelty in developing countries. Many women never find a way out but others, one step at a time dig their way out of the space they are in.

I am learning that you don't have to be defined by the space you are presently in but you can define how you see your environment and therefore define how you wish to see the world. We can each resist and ignore the label(s) put on us by society and happily define ourselves by our own standards and view of reality.

Give it away

I was in Charlotte, NC last week.

I lived in Chicago for about a year before I decided to move to Charlotte. Just as I was making the decision to move Mark proposed and I gleefully accepted. Because I was committed to leaving Lynwood, Illinois I continued with my plans. I didn't know how long I was going to be in Bermuda getting married so I put my worldly possessions in storage.

Fast forward four and a half years. My stuff is still in storage and now I have paid more in storage fees than the items are worth. I made the commitment to clean out the unit and figure out what I wanted to do with everything.

I contacted everyone I know in Charlotte and invited them to come to the storage unit to see if there was anything they wanted or could take and give to someone in need. So on the hottest day of the year in Charlotte we set about the task. The unit I have is 10x10 and totally full.

Day 1 - I went to investigate and mentally put a plan in place.

Day 2 - We pulled everything out and I had to make on the spot decisions on what staying and what was going. By the end of the day (did I mention, it was the hottest day of the year?) I had reduced my stuff by two thirds. I figured if I could live without it for four years, how important was it really?

Day 3 - One last visit to the storage unit to put in items that were stored in Wanda's garage.

After I had gone through my belongings, I started to question why I had all this 'stuff'. When I die would anyone see it as important as I do? Would anyone keep it in their family and pass it on to their children? Or would they look at it and say, "I wonder where she picked this up." Then the next words out of their mouth would be, "Give it to the Salvation Army."

I am now thinking about the belongings I have. Do I need them? Do I need all the clothes and shoes I own? How about the pieces of bric a brac I have collected? Are they advancing understanding between people, reducing war, helping those who are hungry and suffering? What is the minimum we need to be comfortable and happy? Who has ever proven the more you have the happier you are?

I am starting to rethink my priorities and what I buy. I want to get to a place of not carrying around cards (I rarely have cash) and thinking carefully before I decide I absolutely can't live without a particular thing. I want to go through my closet and give away things I know I never wear again. I want to give my stuff to people who otherwise would not have. We can no longer afford to be selfish. We have to give and share and give some more.

Are your hands clean?

It has been a looong time since I last wrote an entry. So much has happened, I'm not sure where to begin.

Let's start with something that has been on my mind for a few months now, the H1N1 influenza virus. You may ask yourself why this issue is bothering me since I am not a medical professional and won't be responsible for any aspect of spreading, containing or treating the disease.

I beg to differ. We each have a role to play in the first two - spreading and containing a deadly and unpredictable disease.

I wouldn't say that I have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder because that would negate the seriousness of the disease. If there are levels to OCD with 10 being the highest (the TV character Monk comes to mind) and one is the lowest - I am at about six. I am concerned about cleanliness but not crazed, just yet.

The manic publicity surrounding the outbreak, spread and WHO warnings of the H1N1 virus has made me revisit all the precautions I took previously and amped up the wattage just a little. In the meantime I have been watching how people govern themselves in public and I am very concerned that we don't stand a chance against the virus.

We are told by health professionals what to do to help prevent the spread of the virus: cover your cough, cough or sneeze into your elbow, use a tissue to blow your nose then throw it away immediately and wash your hands regularly. We are also told not to touch our mouth, nose or eyes as these are the entryways to our body for the virus.

With these precautions in place I have been looking at how people govern themselves. They are not following any of these strong recommendations. People continue to cough and sneeze on each other. They cough into their hands and then shake others' hands. They touch door handles, countertops and other things that house millions of virus and absently touch their face, especially their mouth, nose and eyes.

When I see all this I grow increasingly alarmed that we are not going to stop the virus but will continue to spread it wide and far throughout from person to person, house to house and country to country.

Here are a few points you can think about to help prevent the spread of germs because there are some obvious things we can do to protect ourselves. Use this list as you see appropriate.

• Do not to touch door handles and knobs;
• If using public transportation, try not to touch the handles, bars and straps provided (but not at the risk of falling over and hurting yourself);
• Don't use pens that are provided to sign your debit card receipt (carry your own);
• Try not to shake hands. (If you can get away with a polite head nod go ahead, if you think a hug would suffice that would be acceptable or even fist bump the person);
• When in a restaurant try not to use the condiments - think about it.

These are just a few of the things I try to avoid when in public because hundreds of people would have touched them before I did. I am sure if scientists conducted tests on these things the number of germs crawling around would shocking.

As soon as I get home I wash my hands. I carry a hand sanitizer in my purse and use it before I eat in public. I watch people put their hands to their face regularly. I want to stop them but then I can see myself being locked up with real OCD patients, which would be a nightmare in and of itself.

In closing, please heed WHO warnings. Follow your local health organization's guidance and advise, they are doing it for your protection.

Wash your hands and be healthy.