Taking things for granted

Today is a rough day. We think Grandma had a stroke, I didn't sleep well, I'm at work trying not to cry and I'm fighting with pretty much everyone (minus about four people who are trying to keep me sane and my family members...because my family is too tired to fight).

Grandma's been up and down today mood-wise. She was pretty snippy with my sister this morning, but other than that in good spirits. Physical therapy at least got her to stand up, which is nothing short of a miracle after her hip replacement...and while I'd like to have hope, there's no cure for Alzheimer's, so she'll continue to deteriorate...and I'll continue being able to do nothing about it. Life at its finest.

Anyway, amidst all the chaos of my life with grandma, a lot of people have been complaining to me (and to be fair, I've done a lot of complaining, too).

"I don't want to start this job. It was supposed to be part-time, and they're scheduling me for full-time hours."
"This is too much work."
"I'm not cut out for this. I don't like it. I don't want to."

Pardon my bluntness for a moment...who the hell cares? I love the people who were saying this, don't get me wrong, but the world has bigger fish to fry.

I think the latest statistic said that ~12% of people are unemployed. You have a job. You should be grateful you're getting more hours than you anticipated. You're making more money than you thought you were going to be.

Work is good for you. I would kill for the job that this person has. He's a reporter for a local newspaper. A job that I went to school for. A job that I have passion, heart and love for, and my body just says "fuck you," and doesn't hold up for the odd hours. It's nothing short of a miracle that I survived managing the school newspaper my senior year of college. Honestly, the only reason I did survive it is because of my editorial staff and adviser.

As for the last complaint, I just want to shake the person and ask them DO YOU HEAR YOURSELF? People are starving. People are out spending 12 hours a day looking for a job. They have mouths to feed. People are battling cancer. People are decomposing and they can't stop it.

But society is selfish. We, as human beings, are selfish. This blog is evidence of that. This blog shows nothing but my story. There is a disgusting amount of "I's," and "me's" and "my's"...but I know that. I have a story that I want to tell, that I want to share and I'm more than willing to have other people share their story if they want to send it to me (dontgiveup365@gmail.com).

Anyway, back to the point....we're selfish. Very rarely do we stop and really appreciate what we have. We always want more. We always want to complain about something, regardless of how petty or ridiculous the complaint seems.

The irony of all of this is that I've just spent the last few minutes complaining about someone who's been complaining to me. Not to mention, I definitely spent the entire time complaining to a coworker today about how much this person was really starting to piss me off. But what was I supposed to do? Just sit there and take it?

No. I refuse to just sit there and take it when someone is bitching at me and things could be worse.

I try to put things in perspective for people.

You hate your job? Too damn bad. You have a job and I would do anything to have your job. Myself aside, a lot of people don't have jobs.

You don't want to go to work today? That's funny because I would give anything to go to work instead of watching my grandmother die. Again, myself aside, YOU HAVE A JOB. How many people can't say that?

You don't think you're good enough? You can't do it?

Here's the real question: You can't or you don't want to? 

Our society is not only selfish. It is lazy. And I've had just about enough of that.

I'm sick of being sick. The lazy people take for granted what they could be doing if they weren't lazy. But instead they sit on their asses day in and day out just because.

Stop taking things for granted. Stop being selfish. Go live. Go be. 

Because there are people who can't. 

“It's that wonderful old-fashioned idea that others come first and you come second. This was the whole ethic by which I was brought up. Others matter more than you do, so 'don't fuss, dear; get on with it'.”
― Audrey Hepburn