It's so easy for me

All I have to do is pedal and raise some money and I get to do the AIDS ride. It's that simple.
It really struck me this morning how lucky I am as I read a posting on the ALC discussion board. It was a posting from a Positive guy who will be a roadie on the ride. He has several medications to juggle-- one on an empty stomach, one on a full stomach-- you get the idea, and with the crazy schedule roadies keep he had questions about adjust times of taking meds and was looking for advice from other Positive riders and roadies.

I do have some legitimate worries in my life--money is tight and I worry about making ends meet. But none of my worries is life and death. I have it so good, so easy compared to so many people in this world.

But it's so easy to take all that for granted. The world is in pretty much of a big mess right now. The US financial problems have created ripples, if not tsunamis, on every continent. Death and disease are around the corner in so many countries.

We bitch and moan about the economy, about the state of our healthcare. And I'm not saying we should stop the bitching and moaning. It should be much much better in a country as wealthy as ours.

But we are damn lucky. Even folks who are HIV positive in the US are far better off than in some parts of the world. And that's because we have places like the SF AIDS Foundation and the LA Lesbian and Gay Center.

So, all I need to do is keep pedaling, keep raising money for SFAF, keep looking in nooks and crannies for freelance and contract work, and go to sleep at night counting my blessings.