First-World Problems
This past weekend I went to the beach. It’s our last “big” family event before I leave. It’s amazing how some time away, and how being unemployed, changes the way you think. My creativity, long untapped, is beginning to well up again. I started writing again, and again have the desire to draw and play music.
While at the beach, I just let my mind wander. JFK once said that we are drawn to the sea because we came from it, and we long to return to it. I don’t know if that’s accurate, but I do know that being at the beach has a healing quality to it. The one thing that kept recurring in my thoughts as I reflected on everything that’s happened to me in the past weeks was this:
I am so thankful for my first-world problems.
Am I going to have car trouble? What am I going to eat for lunch today? What if my boss doesn’t like my work? Do these clothes look okay? I can’t get this game to work on my computer. Where did my digital pics go? Did I lose them? Did I miss that awesome flash sale on the internet? I fell asleep at the beach and now I have sunburn. Am I making smart decisions with my investments?
I’ve never had to worry about going hungry, or if I’d be the victim of violence in the course of the day. I’ve never had to worry about someone I love dying because we couldn’t afford medical care. I’ve never had to worry about war. My corrupt political leaders pocket money and pass laws that benefit corporations; they don’t start genocide. Some people may not like my religion but no one’s going to blow up my church.
The days are getting shorter now. I don’t have much time left here. As my room gets barer and I begin to pile things into the corner for packing, the pressure of what I’m doing begins to grow. I’m moving to a foreign country I’ve never been to for at least a year with nobody I know. I don’t speak the language. I don’t have much teaching experience. Will people like me? Will I learn the language? Can I be successful?
I am so thankful for my first-world problems.
