No More Complaining
Yesterday Mr. Pop and I went out to finish up a couple of Christmas chores. The traffic was hell, as were the crowds. We managed to do what we needed to do. On our way home we were complaining about the traffic, the crowds and the weather. Even for down here it was too warm. As we were coming through a very nice golf course community we noticed something strange.
For about a couple of blocks there were trucks of all sorts. All of these trucks were companies that you call when you have household damages. Then we saw the homeowners had large plastic bags filled with something in their front yards. There were also piles of carpeting and carpet padding. The key to all this was the truck pumping sewer from the main line.
Yes, the sewer had for some reason backed up into these homes and one week before Christmas these homeowners were having to strip their homes of all contaminated carpeting and whatever else the nasty backup had touched.
As the realization of this event began to manifest in our minds we became silent. These homeowners were going through hell. They had such a horrible situation thrust upon them. All of a sudden our chores, the traffic, the crowds and the warm weather didn’t seem like such a problem.
For about a couple of blocks there were trucks of all sorts. All of these trucks were companies that you call when you have household damages. Then we saw the homeowners had large plastic bags filled with something in their front yards. There were also piles of carpeting and carpet padding. The key to all this was the truck pumping sewer from the main line.
Yes, the sewer had for some reason backed up into these homes and one week before Christmas these homeowners were having to strip their homes of all contaminated carpeting and whatever else the nasty backup had touched.
As the realization of this event began to manifest in our minds we became silent. These homeowners were going through hell. They had such a horrible situation thrust upon them. All of a sudden our chores, the traffic, the crowds and the warm weather didn’t seem like such a problem.
posted by pissed off patricia at 2:34 AM
24 Comments:
Of course the above normal temperatures this time of year have nothing to do with global warming. My kids were complaining because according to the weathermen, we probably won't be having a white Christmas this year, when in the past we'd be up to our arses in the white stuff. Then I showed them An Inconvenient Truth, and immediately they began to wonder what they could do to stop global warming.
I imagine whomever is in charge of the sewer system is going to have a worse Christmas. I'm glad your area wasn't hit by that mess.
Holy crap! Sorry I had to say that.
Yuck!
That does give you pause to say thanks for all I have.
Thanks...this story does add some perspective to all those small annoyances this time of year.
Sometimes we (Me included!) get so wound up with "life happening" that we forget it's happening for others, too - often not as well.
Witnessing something like that can definitely change your state of mind. I think we're all guilty at some level and it takes a bad situation to cause us to be more appreciative.
bluegrrrrl, you stole my word - perspective. As they say, could be worse, could be raining. (Thank you Marty Feldman)
Makes you greatful for what you have and what hasn't happened to you compared to some others....
There is a term I've used when I am in a twist about something: High Class Problems. We all seem to have our share of "complaints", but when we view them in relation to others with some serious shit going on, we realize what we have to be grateful for.
Scenes like that do tend to jolt some people back to reality. One of the NOLA bloggers posted on how their FEMA trailer got broken into. You have to be a low life to break into a FEMA trailer in that area after all they have been through. Sometimes you just have to pause and be thankful for what you have. There is always someone in greater need.
Ther are always some one who is worse of than you or I.
It never does when you encounter someone whose lives have been touched by tragedy of one kind or another.
Situations like that allow you to be more greatful. That is a very powerful thing to have in a life. I am just greatful that the cat is not real since I am allergic to them.
Patricia,
That is a truly disgusting event for those people to have to go through. Good grief, I feel sorry for them. No telling how it will effect their insurance or their ability to ever sell their home when they have to declare it was full of sewage at one time.
I guess seeing that did change your point of view. My heart goes out to those families.
Of course the above normal temperatures this time of year have nothing to do with global warming.
"Above normal"?! Maybe where you live, Lew. It reached 28 in Babylon by the Bay last night. Not in all the years I've lived here has it gotten that cold.
But...to the topic at hand. PoP...that's a very mature and thoughtful additude you and Mr. PoP have adopted there. More of us could stand to step back for a moment and reflect on how lucky we are.
If it were not for the lights and music one would never know its Christmas time around here. I've been going out without a coat for days, it feels like October. Guess you are used to that down in Fla.
Happy holidays!
Yeah, that totally sucks for the homeowners. It's always unfortunate when things happen during this time of year.
The important things in life are, as always, a matter of perspective as others have so accurately pointed out. Luckily, yours seems to be well balanced and centered.
In a variation of what Diva Jood said, when there seem to be problems in my life, I think of political prisoners.
Here is my variation of what Diva Jood said. Those lucky people in Darfur never had to put up with full parking lots, crowded shopping malls, computer clitches, wrong color cashmere sweaters, last year's Gucci bags or too well done steaks.
I lived through a backed up septic tank once and it takes months to recover. Three flooding events in the last 4 months have played havok with my neighbors and I still bitch about Christmas.
What is earth-shattering is relative. Earth shatters for each of us for different things/reasons, and at differing levels of stress.
I had a conversation about this with a dear friend when a mutual friend of ours was going through some rough times and was considering the ultimate stupidity (suicide).
Mike said: "Yes, what R is going through is terrible, and what I went through is worse - but what makes or breaks each of us is different for each of us. I look at my life, the things I've had to deal with, and can't imagine how I've made it through this far. Then my daughter comes running in from the other room, in tears, her entire world shattered because her sister broke the green crayon..."
Mike has systemic lupus (which WILL kill him, possibly soon) and has lost his health, his job, his house, his cars, the respect of his family, and almost his wife and kids.
It really is all about relativity.
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