Reality check

[kellinator]

After the travails of this morning, I was lucky enough to find the latest issue of Sports Illustrated to read during my lunch break, and guess what's on the first few pages? Photos from the Paralympic Games. An archer aiming with his mouth. A man with one leg riding a bicycle. A man with no legs swimming.

I'm skeptical about the whole other-people-have-it-worse-so-suck-it-up line of thinking sometimes. The fact that other people are going through hells a thousand times worse doesn't make your own problems go away when you're in the thick of them, and I really do think it's okay for us to feel our emotions without beating ourselves up over whether we have the right to feel that way. But... it's also important sometimes to step back and really look at what we have. If I don't like being a shadow person at work, what must it be like for the custodial staff? I'm from a blue-and-pink-collar home, I strongly believe that all work is honorable, but how much respect do they really get treated with? One of my co-workers mentioned that some people seem to make themselves feel bigger and better by abusing people they think will have to put up with it. It seems like the opposite should be the rule.

Do me a favor today. Be nice to someone you don't know. Or someone you know who isn't expecting it.

I know that I'll still get pissed when people are rude to me at work. But I have my health, I'm not hungry or homeless or in physical danger, my life is much more good than bad, and I can call some truly beautiful souls my friends. I'm blessed.

Comments

[grunion.livejournal.com]

My mother in law tried the "see? That family has it MUCH worse than we do..." line on me just the other day (it's not tough when you're surrounded by quads and paras all day). The instructor for our 'Family Training', a nurse whose father is a para and happened to be at Shepherd for his treatment/rehab, interrupted her conversation, walked over and said "It's true, their lives may actually be more difficult than yours - their loss more severe. What that doesn't mean is that you've not been devistated. 'Suck it up, they have it worse' is usually a sure way to make sure you allow your condition to BECOME worse."

Yeah, it wasn't life changing wisdom, but it was pretty good, and it stopped my mother-in-law in her tracks. Usually it takes me a few witty retorts or at least a couple harsh glares, so doing it in just a few lines is GENIUS!