The recent dearth of posts results, in part, from a plumbing disaster that took out the flooring and a few walls in five rooms of my home. While upsetting, I found the reactions of others enlightening.
After my initial dismay and anger, I am very grateful that I have a home and insurance that covers most of the loss. I have friends who lost everything in wars or disasters with no insurance; at least one came to this country with a large suitcase and $200 in his pocket to start a new life. Nor is this my first loss. The home I grew up in no longer stands. The house where I spent many summers as a child is gone.
Yet many people seemed surprised by the equanimity I showed over the loss of things. Of objects. "How terrible," they tell me. "I would be so upset." Yet others seem shattered on my behalf. "It must be a horrible shock. How can you make decisions so easily? Your whole house will be so different."
I'd prefer not to be sleeping on a bed shorter than I am, true. Yet I have a spare bed. How many people in this world sleep every night of their life in far worse? My house will be torn up for awhile. I am somewhat inconvenienced. Yet no bombs are falling. I'll be able to rebuild, perhaps even improve what was there, given cash and vision.
What happened here was an irritant. An annoyance. A minor discomfort at a time when tanks are rolling, bullets flying and bombs falling in other parts of the world. When the news is once again filled with elderly standing in the rubble with no one left to care for them, or the remnants of families trudging down dusty roads while politicians stand in front of monitors squabbling over boundaries and labels.
What was lost were things. Objects. Replaceable. Luxuries for much of the world.
No one was hurt. I give greatest thanks for that. Life is irreplaceable. The rest are simply blessings showered on me more from a fortunate accident of birth in a rich country, than anything I've ever done. Events such as this simply remind me to be thankful for what I have and to keep things in perspective.
I have a lot to be thankful for. Given enough tea and time, I've managed to reach sufficient perspective to be thankful for this reminder to be grateful.
The next time you or someone else says, "It was the worst day of my life!" stop and think. Was it? Was it really? Or was it an opportunity to put your life in perspective and contemplate something bigger than yourself?
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4 comments:
Quote "contemplate something bigger than yourelf? "Unquote
I often contemplate something bigger than myself....But enough of my filthy fantasies of GP ;-)
Beth is of course right, this is an opportunity, not something to get depressed about.It will be good to have new and perhaps to have it better than it was. It`s a bonus of course if it`s all paid for too.
I`m not a materialistic person, I grew up in the Eastend of London in a time of poverty for the working class. Nine of us to two rooms, a tin bath and single coal fire for heat. How often do I hear melancholic views of that time from other Londoners saying how wonderful it was to be able to leave your door unlocked etc. Of course you could leave your door unlocked you had bugger all and no time to get depressed as you were to busy trying to survive to contemplate suicide.
Things are just things, we don`t own them we lease them, sooner or later they`ll belong to someone else.
I`ve never been able to afford a brand new car, nor would I want one. Think of the worry, it may get scratched or dented in the parking lot. How would I sleep at night with my shiny thing parked in the road ?
No wonder rich people die of heart attacks....It`s the worry of all their shiny things. Keep them, I have what I need and then some and if my house falls down or becomes flooded I`ll build it up better than it was.
I wonder how many of your fondest memories of are of the hardest times, most of mine are.
Beth will have her life disrupted but she`ll laugh with the builders, perhaps make some new friends and have a memory to add to her collection.
Now if only I can get this image of Beth and the group of builders out of my head.......... Oh Beth you`re such a...........
"I'd prefer not to be sleeping in a bed shorter than I am."
What a wonderful motto to live by! Being 6' 3" tall, I may start using that as my opening line when booking a hotel room!
How very true
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