Ever since one of my friends has been to deployed to Iraq, I have realized the care package I have made for him has gotten heavier. My package for him has gotten heavier because when I plan to send out the package, he would call to let me know other things he needs. Therefore, instead of wasting money on packaging supplies, I decided to send all his stuff at once.

However, after talking with him today I suddenly realized that there are a lot of diverse products in America. Maybe us, Americans, and generally Western societies have gotten use to the expensive pleasures of life such as the Internet, iPod, or television. We have also gotten use to being exposed to different varieties or flavors of a product such as hot sauce! By being exposed to the expensive pleasures of life and the variety of products have made me realize how I have taken advantage of the simple pleasures of life.

When my boyfriend was deployed in Iraq, he would remind me how much harder he has it than I do. When I would complain to him about my friends or how one of my friends had irritated me, he would tell me of the friends that he had lost in Iraq or the ones back at home whom have forgotten about him after he enlisted. He would utter, “At least you have friends.” Listening to him utter the word “have” sends shivers down my back, makes me feel selfish, and most importantly, it makes me feel dumb. I hate hearing that word! When I told my boyfriend I am on my bed, he would remind me how he misses his cozy blanket and soft pillow at home. He would then describe how he has spent the past few nights sleeping on the desert floor with no blanket and his backpack as his pillow. Most of the time I am speechless. I do not know what to tell him, so I respond “I’m sorry to hear that.”

When I get phone calls from my friend in Iraq, I will admit, I get nervous talking to him. I really do not know what to say. Before I pick up his phone call, I already know what he has been going through. I bother not asking him how he has been because he always tells me “You already know.” Therefore in order to help boost his self-esteem, I try to tell him the nonsense that I have to go through as a civilian in order to help him make his life in Iraq not as difficult. However, it does not help him because I know that my problems in America will never surmount to the experiences he has to endure while living in Iraq.

I wonder if Americans understand just how lucky they are to be exposed to a variety of products that other countries do not have. Or, maybe Americans have become dependent on expensive pleasures and the variety of products that creates them to devalue their simple needs just as sleep and friends. The little sacrifices American troops stationed overseas have to undergo, leads me to question if Americans will ever make the same sacrifices. But then again, I guess that is the reason why many Americans choose not to sign on the dotted line.