Have you ever wished that things were somehow different for you? Have you ever asked yourself "How come my friend can afford to have a big house while I don't?" "I wish I had the chance to travel to other countries " or "Why don't I have the latest car model like my neighbor?" or maybe express regrets like, "I could have been successful just like my former classmate" - and many other wishes and longings just like these.

All of us may have felt this way at least once in our lives. Too many times we forget what we have and concentrate on what we don't have. What is one person's worthless object is another's prize possession. It is all based on one's perspective just like this story:

One day a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the firm purpose of showing his son how poor people can be. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.

On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, "How was the trip?" "It was great, Dad." "Did you see how poor people can be?" the father asked. "Oh, Yeah" said the son. "So what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father.

The son answered, "I saw that we have one dog and they have four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon.

We have a small piece of land to live and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them."

With this the boy's father was speechless. Then his son added, "Thanks for showing me how poor we are."

This story makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for all the bounty we have, instead of worrying about wanting more... the world will be a happier place indeed.