Things I didn't have to do today.

When I started to wake I didn't have any pressure to get up before dawn to work to support my family. 
When I awoke from my night's sleep I didn't have to chase away a bunch of people trying to steal my things.
I didn't have to move along because the police asked me to.
I didn't have to stay hidden for fear of being seen by the militia that ransacked my village last night.
I didn't have to clear my sleeping gear out of my booth so others could start work around me.
And I did not look over to see a photo of my deceased partner sitting beside the bed. 
There was no need to go to the well to pump some water for me to boil and then drink.
I did not have to cut wood for the fire.
When I finally got out of bed I did not need to hunt for food for breakfast.
I did not have to check to see if my ill siblings had lived through the night.
I wasn't wondering about how I would obtain the drugs I am addicted to without getting arrested.
I noticed that there were no bars on my window, and I could see daylight. 
When I turned on the water tap, I did not wonder whether the water was safe to drink
When thinking of where I had to be today, the four hour line for the opportunity to buy food and medicine was not one of the places that came to mind.
There was no sound of explosions and gunfire.
There was no stench of faeces.
When I picked up my clothes they were not tattered, or dirty, or wet.
While eating my breakfast I did not have decide how much I would eat myself and how much I would leave for my family.
Nor did I have to worry about whether there would be food later in the day.
When getting ready for work I did not have to wonder how I would possibly pleasure up to thirty men in the next fifteen hours.
I did not wonder whether my work would be deemed worthy of pay today.
And as I thought about how I would get to work, I did not consider which route would be the least likely to result in my leg being blown off by a landmine.
Nor did I have to morally justify to myself the fact that I was being paid to kill people.
I didn't fold my cardboard box mattress up and hide it behind a bin.
I didn't have to defecate under a bridge and I definitely didn't have to search the restaurant bin for last night's leftovers to eat.
When I finally made it to work my boss didn't threaten or blackmail me.
And I didn't even have to use potentially dangerous machinery that could kill me.
My skin wasn't burning from the sun and my hands weren't frostbitten from the cold.
I don't think I wondered whether I could afford to stop for lunch.
I wasn't exposed to any toxic chemicals and I didn't have to compromise my health to stay employed.  I don't remember thinking about my children in substandard health care.
I am pretty sure I didn't wonder where my husband was.
And I am certain that I did not have to use another employee as a scapegoat for a mistake that I made just to keep my job and a way of putting food on the table.
So when it came time to leave for the day it wasn't dark outside.
And I wasn't too physically worn out to stand.
I didn't have to clock out.
And I don't remember asking the boss if it was ok if I came in tomorrow.
On my way home I didn't ask anyone for money for a hostel for the night.
And I didn't have to carry 40kg of water in buckets across my shoulders.
I wasn't concerned that I might not get to my second job on time.
I didn't have to borrow a blanket from my neighbour so my family could fight off the cold for one more night.
And I don't remember wondering if they would let me across the border tonight.
When I finally arrived home the locks had not been changed by the bank. 
My house had not been destroyed by a mortar round. 
I didn't have to cook for my husband and his family after a fifteen hour day at work.
I did not have to kill and gut my food.  
I didn't have to protect my food from the other prisoners.
I wasn't wondering when the test results would come back.
I didn't have to explain to my child why the bad man touched her.
My wife didn't say "we have to talk"

And as I thought about all of the things that I didn't have to do today I realised that all the things that I did have to do weren't that bad.
Spare a thought for all of those people that had to do one or more of these things today.