My hard times are easier than other people’s hard times. This was highlighted for me today while I finished off my Christmas shopping.
It’s Christmas Eve and I was annoyed that I had to work. I had hoped to have been finished on Friday so that I had Monday and Tuesday off before Christmas to sort out what I needed to sort for Christmas and relax a little. This didn’t quite pan out as I ended up with work to do.
Life doesn’t suck…
because my hard times are easier than others.
I was heading home and we’d already decided that the supermarket wasn’t worth going near because of how busy it was. Because of this, I stopped in at the butcher to grab some sausages for Christmas barbecues. Outside the butchery, there was a man with a sign asking for money.
I’d already been thinking about how there were people that weren’t as lucky as me this Christmas. I scooped all the coins out of my wallet and added them to his pile of coins. He was really happy and thanked me. As I carried my stuff back to the car I was thinking that what I had just given him was nothing compared to what I had spent on Christmas presents.
Putting my stuff in the car I headed back and said to him, “Is there anything I can get you from either of these shops?” He reacted like he hadn’t been expecting a gesture like that. All he wanted was a can of Coke. I had a quick internal moral argument with myself about whether I should be buying someone Coke and quickly decided, hey why not, it’s Christmas, isn’t it?
I bought the man a large bottle of Coke and wished him a merry Christmas. He seemed pretty happy and thanked me. This whole interaction made me think about how my bad days pale in comparison to having those of others.
I’m grateful that even on my worst days I don’t need to ask strangers for money. I have the support of people around me and I have the potential to earn enough money to survive comfortably. I’m grateful that my life is pretty good and I was dealt a pretty strong hand. I’m in a very fortunate position. My hard times are easier than those experienced by others.
Current gratitude streak: 30 days
Did you miss my post from yesterday? Read it here Gratitude, Day 29: I’m grateful when my hard work pays off