After the challenge

So we made it through the week, with some food to spare...tuna, beans, rice, bread, tortillas, an onion and one lonely egg. I won't say it wasn't a relief to return to my normal routine yesterday, because it was; I was especially happy to get my morning coffee. (As were my colleagues, who had to endure my caffeine-less whining for a week.)

But I'm still trying to wrap my head around just what I learned. After all, this was an artificial experience. What we lived through was just a tiny taste of the reality for too many people. I knew this was ending in a week. I didn't have to simultaneously worry about how I was going to pay my rent or my childcare.

Still, my mother always used to tell me that you should never judge anyone without walking a mile in their shoes, and I think that applies here. It's so easy to live our lives without really thinking about what someone else is going through. The Food Stamp Challenge reminded me of that-- and gave me a little more incentive to work to change things, in what little way I can.