у меня есть

"Only those who have learned the power of sincere and selfless contribution experience life's deepest joy: true fulfillment." - Tony Robbins

As you've probably heard several times since the latter half of 2016 (and still today), Russia is apparently causing all of the world's problems. Who hacked the US Election? Russia. Who needs to be sanctioned? Russia. Who ate the last slice of pizza? Russia.

Steve Buscemi was actually saying, "Russia, Russia, Russia!"

So, in short, Russia is to blame for everything. However, I do have one bragging point for Russia today, and that would be this one simple phrase: у меня есть (ooh meanya yeast). If you happen to find yourself being a semi-pro at languages, and you говоришь по-Google, this phrase won't really mean anything out of the ordinary. However, for those of us who говорим по-Русский, this phrase has a different meaning.

While in most language it is common to see people say, "I have" or "we have" and so forth, in Russian, there is no such saying. While у меня есть will be translated to "I have...", but it's real meaning is "it exists around me". Now, I know, you might be thinking that this doesn't really clarify anything. You are correct, but allow me to drop some bars, cuz the Czars saw stars, and ate Milky Bars. Word.

The Russian people for a majority of history have been serfs, heavy laborers, or poverty stricken in many different forms. There have been several periods of time where this kind of generational serfdom has continued and continued among the general populous, and it does have a very specific effect on mindset that can and will stay with people for periods of time after the generation has ended. It's very clear in the mindset of some the communities around Moscow. However, there is a beautiful sentiment that comes along with it. And in that phrase, у меня есть, people don't say they have things because they have come to realize that they don't own anything.

"What is so special about that?", you might ask. "Aww, that's so sad!", you might interject. But think about this. In a community where all you have is each other, say your family, and nothing else taking up all that space in your life, there becomes a certain closeness that transcends the material. What's beautiful about the sentiment is that people in Russia have learned what is worth attaching themselves to, and what is only going to break, rot, or fall apart. The notion of being able to take a step back and reassess your life, taking note of what is important and learning to live without what can be tossed away is something that I feel gets lost a lot in the world of today.

All we have to do is look around and see miserable people, who are miserable because they have stuff, but it's not the right stuff. It's not fast enough, it's not big enough, it's not small enough, the new version came out two weeks ago. We look at what others have, and we start assessing that they have more than we have, they have more opportunities, more money, more cars, more influence, and on and on. Sometimes it's hard to even tell if people would be happy- even if you handed them the moon on a golden platter. But that's where I see the beauty in this phrase. "I have nothing, it only exists around me." Say what you will, but no one has ever let greed and want of excess destroy them by having this mindset. And I can't get over how beautiful that is. The notion that just because something passes through your hands doesn't mean it belongs to you is refreshing. All day long, I'd normally hear "Mine, mine, mine": my car, my house, my money, my clothes.

And if you're not hearing about what people have, you're probably hearing the opposite: what people DON'T have. We get so caught up in stuff that we will literally tell people what is missing from our lives, regardless of whether it affects our state of being or not. I don't have money, we don't have water buffalos, we ain't got no McNuggets, McFlurries, or McGriddles, and our ice cream machine is always broken... sort of like every McDonald's you've ever been to.

Annie was right. It's a hard knock life!

So, just the art of hearing people who would have every right to complain about everything not complain is beautiful. Very beautiful. And it speaks volumes, especially as we are sailing through this new year. Are we going to bring all the complaining, grumbling, worrying about things that you can't take with you when you die, and looking over everyone's' shoulders to see what everyone has or doesn't have? Or are we going to be content? The attitude that we may not have money, but we have family, friends, generally okay health. We may have less than what other people have, and that's okay, because material possessions are temporary. This isn't to say that you shouldn't strive for greatness, or you shouldn't want things, or be scared of being successful or rich. However, this should speak to heart of being okay without these things and learning to enjoy life and not complain or compare. And it is my hope that this year that's an attitude that gets reflected on. The attitude of not needing to own or control everything, but being thankful that these things exist, and thankful even if they never come into our possession. May we learn to be content when we have, and content when we don't have. If this hasn't been your attitude so far in 2017, there's still time to be thankful for everything, and to see the opportunities to be thankful.