Am I Good Enough?

    

    There is a great deal of unsettling news these days. As I gaze at the scenic mountains dotted with hot air balloons and hang gliders in northern Laos, I feel uneasy about worldwide events. I read the news on my phone, watch it on TV, and discuss it with tourists. The United States is a divided country with the recent Georgia election for a new Senator. The Pandemic has left many citizens with health issues, insurance complications, and job loss. Many people got COViD vaccinations and still caught the virus. Some did not survive. We are all changed by the pandemic and government issues. We are a country divided. We manage our daily obstacles trying to find our way. We are at different stages of our lives, but we all have inner doubts, worry about our future, and wonder if we are good enough. I am inspired by Michelle Obama's first book after leaving the White House, "Becoming. " She states that history and hearts are complicated. We need our own personal toolbox to deal with daily life. The night before her best-selling book was published, she asked her husband 'Am I good enough?' Mr. Obama leaned into her forehead and said, 'Yes' with a hug. We have our insecurities and wonder the same question. Am I good enough? We are living in new times and dealing with the loss and fear of our future. Doubt lives in all ages of life. What has your life taught you and what can you lean on?

    We need to build passionate communities and recognize our own light. We can take some lessons from the chickens. My husband and I spend 'Happy Hour' daily at sunset on an outdoor deck of a tiny restaurant. We are surrounded by young backpackers on their Southeast Asia adventure. They are aware of body image with tight shirts, tan skin, and buns on the heads of both males and females. Black, white and grey are the fashionable colors to wear. They also have T-shirts from every country they have visited. They spend their days rafting on the river, biking, hot air ballooning, or hang gliding. In Thailand, they visit the elephant wildlife parks, Thai cooking schools, hike, and zip line. They are on an adventure backpacking trip in Southeast Asia and never stay too long anywhere. 

    Our peaceful view from the deck of the restaurant is broken up by the chicken farm below us. It is anything but quiet as they cluck and eat their evening cornmeal. As we view the majestic sunset over the mountains, they promptly stop and go to sleep. The almost eerie silence repeats itself nightly as the sun slips behind the mountain and darkness pulls a curtain over the silent chickens. I wanted to find out more about chicken habits on Wikipedia. Do they ever worry if they are good enough? I doubt it. We are in the chicken heartland of Southeast Asia. There are over 23.7 billion chickens on the planet. No surprise that there are more chickens in the world than any other bird. The world's oldest chicken lived for 16 years, but most live 5-10 years. That is a lot of eggs and noise! The male rooster is differentiated from the female hen by their bright, colorful feathers and long, flowing tails. They attract the hens and more eggs are laid. So the cycle continues daily with a lot of clucking and crowing in between.

    Somehow the noise as they chase their chicks settles me down at sunset. I feel my underlying anxiety about the world's worries dissolve as the chickens suddenly go to sleep. I wish I could do that instead of rehashing daily events and wondering how I can change them. The chickens have it right. When the sun sets, they fall asleep. We all have our own personal toolbox on how to deal with daily life, inner doubts, and worries about the future. We are at different stages of our lives and managing our own obstacles. We all have inner doubts, worry about our future, and wonder if we are good enough. Let's be more like chickens and just turn off the light. Good night!