Sometimes it's the little things...

It had been a long day, and I was finally approaching the elevator to leave work for home.  Inside, I found a cute three year old child accompanied by her Mother.  I smiled down at the little girl, being the cute child fanatic that I naturally am.  "Mommy, mommy can you put it on?" the girl kept asking.  "I'll put it on the car once I get you seated," the Mom calmly replied to her daughter.  It was at this moment I realized that was this duo was referring to was none other than a brand new IPOD.  This pre-school aged child had not only an IPOD, but one that's nicer than the one I own!  I was in shock as the parent and child departed the elevator.  Whenever I was that age, I didn't even own anything technology related.. let alone an IPOD?!  Disgust aside, I drove home that day with the question of is this normal parenting protocol.. or perhaps this child was just an exception to being spoiled? 
           Later that night, I went to a running club called the Garden State Track club.  Prior to going I didn't know much more except that this was a running club supposedly full of runners my age.  Shortly after arriving, I was accompanied by a junior high school teacher that runs the club and seven males all of various ethnic backgrounds.  Forty minutes into the run, the teacher/club owner informed me that this club is actually designed for under privileged high school and collegiate runners who can't participate in the clubs at their schools.  This saddened me, but at the same time made me feel better to know that there are people out there that do care about such things.  At the conclusion of our sweaty forty minute trail run, I began to experience a stifling pain in my knee.  Quickly stating the cause being my 500 mile+ worn out shoes, a boy standing next to me quickly responded, "Your shoes look nicer than mine."  I turned my head to look down upon a special needs high school boy who was wearing basketball shoes that looked as though 1,000 miles had been run on them.  I bit my tongue, and it was at this point I realized how fortunate I am to be able to afford the Mizunos I had.  Driving home, I thought about that little girl with her shining new IPOD and the poor underprivileged runner who could barely afford adequate shoes.  It's realizations such as this that make me understand the difference money can make for a family, but most importantly to be more thankful for all the little things I have... even just a pair of running shoes.