Giving up giving up

I have a small piece of paper that stays in my Bible. It's a Lenten reflection from EWTN that I've picked up somewhere along the way... This is what it says:
Give up complaining- focus on gratitude.
Give up pessimism- become an optimist.
Give up harsh judgements- think kindly thoughts.
Give up worry- trust Divine Providence.
Give up discouragement- be full of hope.
Give up bitterness- turn to forgiveness.
Give up hatred- return good for evil.
Give up negativism- be positive.
Give up anger- be more patient.
Give up pettiness- become mature.
Give up gloom- enjoy the beauty that is all around you.
Give up jealousy- pray for trust.
Give up gosspiing- control your tongue.
Give up sin- turn to virtue.
Give up giving up- hang in there.

I LOVE this reflection. It basically goes through all of the things I do multiple times on a daily basis and gives me better options. How many times a day do I become discouraged when one of my students has to drop out of school and go back to the village? How often do I gossip about others? How often am I jealous of the volunteers whose sights have pools and golf courses (yes, they do exist, and yes, I visit them a lot)? How often do I pass by an unfortunate man on the road and judge that he must be an alcoholic? How often am I annoyed or angered with the little children that just won't give me five minutes to myself to read a book? I do all of these things constantly (sometimes all of them in a single day).
I do think, however, that Lent in Uganda is getting me closer to giving these things up. After reading St. Theresa of Avila's Interior Castle, I've tried to be less focused inwardly. She tells us that we should not focus on how sinful we are, but instead consider the great humility, glory, and power of God. Through this lense, we can offer praise to God for all His greatness, and consider how prideful and small we are.
I've definitely been able to focus more on gratitude here. I have a little dance that I do whenever power comes back from being out for days at a time. I'm also extremely grateful now that it is the rainy season. It's a perfect 80 degrees now as opposed to the 125 degree peak of the dry season. It's very easy for volunteers in Uganda to become cynical or pessimistic towards their work. After witnessing this attitude in too many people, I made it a personal goal of mine to always focus on the good things about being here.
All of these things are daily struggles, and they don't only exist during Lent. I'm so blessed to have come to Uganda. They are certainly an Easter people. They don't bother with the insignificant details. They care about their families; they worry about school fees and making sure their children get something to eat. Many of my concerns become fairly ridiculous when I reflect on the struggles of my friends in Uganda. May Easter be a time of rebirth for all of us!
On a lighter note, my language learning has hit a hilarious point. I'm actually learning a lot, and asking questions I've found is a great way to get answers. ;) When I greet someone, I usually say, "Oli ota?" It means, "How are you?" People either respond with, "Ndi kirungi" which means, "I am fine." Sometimes, thought, I'll find someone who becomes very excited (and usually very grateful) that I've took the time to learn the language. They'll answer happily, "Eh! Omanyire Runyoro!" ("You know Runyoro!") I would respond, "a little" by saying "enkaito". I recently discovered that "kataito" means "a little", and "enkaito" means "shoe".
God Bless You!
Mukama Akuhe Omugisa!!
Ntugonza!
-Tori