The Lucky Ones

On a beach where I, a young and naive Australian girl sat, the air was warm and the waves were at a perfect four feet before the point of breaking.
Afraid of the Balinese sun, I marinated my body in sunscreen. Though I wanted nothing more than to surf those fun waves of Kuta Beach. I paid a young gentleman 50,000 rupiah to utilise this gorgeous, seven foot and so clearly full of love (by the dints and scratches that proved the wear from thousands of other tourists in the past) board for my days agenda.
Two hours later, burnt and sore, but a successful surf sent me paddling back to shore.
I handed this gentleman my board and thanked him. He pulled out a chair for me and handed me a bottle of water. He introduced himself. Gerhat was his name, a twenty-four year old from Sumatra. I fell so comfortably into the conversation, almost like we were old friends meeting again for the first time in a long time.
He explained to me that they work everyday, dawn till dusk. They had to leave their families in Sumatra simply because living off of a wage of three dollars a day wasn’t enough. Although they didn’t make an awful lot more in Bali, it was enough for them to survive.
A few hours had passed, and by then I knew all of the boys he worked with, two of which he was a brother to. We sat in circle, throwing a soccer ball around and singing. I honestly think that I had never experienced a level of happiness similar to how I felt at that exact moment that day. I had just met these boys, and they opened their hearts and told me all about their family and their culture.
We took turns in playing the bongos and creating our own songs on the spot. And as you could imagine, they weren’t the best. But it made it all the better. My stained smile reflected everyone that surrounded me. We laughed until we cried.
By six in the afternoon, the beach was filled with hundreds of people ready to watch the sunset. Beams of orange bounced off the horizon and it shadowed over the ocean like fire as the sun dived into the water. The silhouettes of the surfers still out dancing on waves made for magic.
For boys who had so little, I was amazed at their attitudes. They never stopped smiling. It was truly incredible, but also a palm to the face for myself because I realised just how selfish I can be.

I had so much, but was I truly happy?

They are the rich ones, rich of love and rich of life, the more important things.

They are the lucky ones.