sugar or salt?

one of my lowest points in my life in New York had something to do with poverty.
i believe it was my second year here and i was at a dead-end job.
working hard at a full-time job but still did not have enough left after bills.

i remember one weekend...
all i had was a cup of coffee and some food from a relative.

the coffee needed sugar.
and the food needed salt.

and both condiments were out.
and after counting my coins, i had enough money left to buy just one of the two from a nearby deli.

so i had to choose between buying sugar or buying salt.

sugar and salt are not things one usually struggle with.
i am sure we always take them for granted.

now that i have enough money in my life.
and my financial future is finally increasingly positive and accumulating...
i am proud of the fact that i continue to value and feel grateful for everything i currently have, no matter how basic.

so whenever i see sugar or salt on a restaurant table,
i am reminded of my journey,
i am reminded of my perseverance,
i am reminded of the capacity of every human being to turn the bleakest of life situations into something significantly better.

i am proof of that.