Always someone worse off than you are.

[SignumPhil]

I've been feeling a bit low since I got back from holiday, missing the snow and fresh air. I always find it's best to think about people who have it worse than you when you're a bit down, so here's my "Top 3 people worse off than Phil this week"

3. The bloke I met in Austria who picked his skis and boots up from the hire shop, got outside, slipped on the pavement and landed on his boots. This resulted in a cracked rib, no skiing and he had to sit around all week not drinking due to painkillers
2. My mate who went with us. He spent all week skiing, got away without injury and then missed the bottom step on his first day back at work and sprained his ankle. He's currently hobbling around on crutches.
1. my old friend Roy in Oklahoma, who just found that the leukemia has once again appeared (for the third time), and is again being pumped full of chemotherapy while awaiting a bone marrow transplant

Suddenly, my life doesn't seem so bad (touching my lucky wooden key fob)

So, which are your "worse off than me" candidates this week?

Phil

[MalcGSI]

My mate from work who had a heart attack last week (not fatal) at the grand old age of 41.

[67688c]

Well I seem to collect heart attacks like people collect stamps, but I'm still plodding on. I'm certainly a lot more fortunate than my cousin who died suddenly from a heart attack at the age of just 39yrs.
He only had the one attack but it was a fatal one, what was upsetting was that he and his wife had been trying for a baby for years and had spent a small fortune on IVF treatment without any success. They were finally accepted for adoption, and had just adopted 2 boys just a few months before he died.

I remember having this feeling of guilt at his funeral, probably because I had survived the 3 heart attacks I'd had upto that time and I was much older of course.

[glenboy]

My mum who's been battling cancer for over a year now,the second time around,she's had about a dozen operations to remove the cancer and it just keeps coming back,she's now on her last of 3 chemo visits to the hospital,on wednesday,then the doctors will re-assess the situation and decide what to do next,been a very hard 15 months and she is getting P*ssed off with it all now. The way she gets on with it is amazing at 67 years old,my little worries and woes of everyday life seem so petty in comparison.

[Ste]

An old school friend of mine died last year. Had a heart attack at the tender age of ...... 36.

I've had this conversation before with friends, when you're feeling low and think everything is against you, take a walk through the childrens section at the local cemetary and then think how hard done by you are.

It genuinely brings a tear to my eye just thinking about it and typing it here now.

[Deztroyer]

my wife has been waiting for a knee replacement she's been referred for the past three years and they wont give her a new knee because she's only 34!!
they say it would affect her quality of life later....but shee needs her knee now!

[67688c]

My mum who's been battling cancer for over a year now,the second time around,she's had about a dozen operations to remove the cancer and it just keeps coming back,she's now on her last of 3 chemo visits to the hospital,on wednesday,then the doctors will re-assess the situation and decide what to do next,been a very hard 15 months and she is getting P*ssed off with it all now. The way she gets on with it is amazing at 67 years old,my little worries and woes of everyday life seem so petty in comparison.

I do hope your Mom recovers Glen, its a time when she needs you most, and I can tell that you obviously do genuinly care. She's the same age as myself, and sounds a remarkably brave lady, all we can do is keep fingers crossed that she makes it though matey. I sincerely hope so!.

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Ste...

You are quite right, when you suggested we look at the graves of the youngsters graves in cemetaries. My wife and I go to see my own parents grave and to give it a clean and to replace flowers once a month. I often browse the many other graves there, including the large number of childrens graves which are located in a separate area. Seeing them altogether there, I was amazed how many youngsters never even see adulthood, and as you stated one can get very emotional, and feel really humble.