(A Blog Every Day in May 2013 Challenge Entry)
So
tonight has been fairly interesting. Been visiting some friends I’ve
not hung out with for a long time. It’s been a lot of fun so far, but
taking a quick break to make my daily entry.
Today’s prompt:
Day 16, Thursday: Something difficult about your "lot in life" and how you're working to overcome it.
First World Problems
I
have to be honest, I don’t think I have very many hardships that aren’t
self induced. My main materialistic hardship is money. Most in my
family have never had luck in money. I should say, at least my side of
the family. Or... however you would explain it. It seems the half of the
family that is detached from those I’m mainly associated with have had
quite their fair share of luck when it comes to income/money.
There
was a family divide — before my time — between my grandfather (now
passed) and his brother. I’m not exactly sure what caused the wedge, but
I essentially know no one from that half of the family. I don’t even
recall their half having family reunions. I’ll have to ask about that.
Either
way, what I do know is that I rarely have any excess cash on hand. This
is how it is for many people, though, and a lot of it is the result of
my lack of ambition/motivation to change it. I’ve always just sort of
skimmed by on the bare minimum.
I know many others have it way worse, so I do my best to not complain.
No More Pets, Except For Birds
While
I may feel devoid of any serious hardships and dealings of bad luck in
life, the same can’t be said for my friend’s daughter. She is five years
old, and it’s been one hell of a day for her. From the moment we
arrived it’s been one trauma after another.
When
getting out of the car she ran up to us and saw a wasp. Suddenly she
let out a scream, as she made sure to keep track of where the wasp was
flying. This wasn’t just a short, sharp scream, but one that continued
until her nemesis buzzed off.
Within
the next ten minutes she was mauled by her own pet cat. She was holding
it when the neighbor’s dog came up, scaring the cat, causing her pet to
scratch her arm, stomach, and shoulder while frantically attempting to
escape her grasp. We were alerted by her screams, once again, piercing
the silence of this beautiful, Spring day.
The
scratches were pretty superficial, but to a five year old they were
like the end of the world. Some highlights (in order that I can recall):
“I never want to see that dog again!”
“Oh my god, oh my god, OH MY GOD!”
“This is the worst day ever!”
“I’m afraid that I’m not going to live.”
“No more cats, no more dogs. I don’t need them! No more pets, except for birds. I like birds.”
To that last comment her father, a friend since high school, replied, “But birds can peck your eyes out.”
Smooooooth.
Between
each statement given, she was screaming at the top of her lungs and
crying. I couldn’t help but laugh when she wasn’t around to see/hear me
doing so. I found it hilarious. Sad at first, because the scratches had
to have hurt, but the reactions were so over the top I couldn’t help it.
She
contemplated many things during the traumatic experience. Perhaps she
should get rid of the cat. Maybe she should become the pet killer. That
one was a little scary... All pets were evil, but eventually their new
dog Freya was exempt from this accusation.
Eventually she got over it. Neosporin was applied to her battle scars and she was once again reverted to her playful self.
So
regardless of what hardships I may feel I have in life, there are some
that have it worse. Like those with pets... that aren’t birds.
Do you feel you have any specific hardships currently in life? Have you ever had a traumatic experience with a pet?
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It’s been a long while. I briefly discuss some of this year’s shortcomings, and in doing so, find it’s just more of the same.
Then I attempt to give a more positive spin…
Extra Life Game Day 2021 has arrived! It’s Year 8 for myself and I am looking forward to once again raise money for Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare. Team Cryton Crusaders is ready (kind of) for the annual fundraising event involving a 24-Hour Gaming Marathon! I kept last year’s fun, but likely impossible Milestone to reach!
Learn more about the challenge where my team and I play games and heal kids!