Sometimes you think you have it bad...

...and then you hear a story of someone who has it worse.

There are days where I really hate the life I live.  I can't even pinpoint all the reasons why, but the dissatisfaction runs rampant occasionally.

Then, events happen to people I know, that remind me how good I have it, even if I'm dissatisfied with life.

Story #1 - Friends of my wife and I moved away from Dallas about a year and a half ago.  They were really only (1) couple out of about 3 that are true friends to us down here.  Unfortunately, since they've moved away, we don't keep in touch much anymore.  Our friendship still remains, but distance keeps us from interacting.

Well, the wife of this couple got pregnant just before they moved.  She had her little boy appx. 9 months ago.  At 6 months old, they began to notice that he wasn't developing similarly to other children, and that he was having "episodes".  Well, after extensive tests, the doctors came to the conclusion that the little boy suffered a stroke within his mother's womb.

As such, he experiences seizures and has trouble with one side of his body. 

Our friends will be spending a lot of time, sweat, and money for the next few years, if not even longer.  The burden they now carry is one which all parents should be willing to shoulder, yet is it truly a burden?  Maybe burden is the wrong word, but life has gotten a lot more complicated now for them.

Story #2 - My boss.  I've had some really good bosses in my jobs.  I've had some real shitty ones too.  My current one is possibly one of the best I've had.  He's hand's off (unless he needs to get involved), knows what the fuck he's talking about regarding the technical issues regarding our work (most of our bosses don't), and he's very flexible with time off, sick days, personal days, and doctor's appointments.  Basically, as long as you are getting the job done, he leaves you alone.  He expects you to be professional in your job and as a worker (put your 40 hours in every week) but doesn't micro-manage our work or our time.

Anyways, he has four children.   Quite a handful, but good kids from what he's told us. 

Unfortunately, this past year, one of his children got busted with drugs.  This was an eye-opener for our boss, as I'm pretty sure he was secure in thinking that he had raised his kids good enough that none of them would ever do something like that.  Shit like that can blind-side a parent.  So, his child was old enough to receive a stiff sentence, but since it was his first offense, he received probation.

Fast forward to this week.  The same child who had gotten in trouble with the drugs, rolled his vehicle and totaled it.  Broke 2 of his vertebrae at the "C" level of the spine.  Probably came millimeters away from severing his spinal cord, but didn't.

As it is, he will be required to wear a neck brace for the next few months.  He almost had to wear a Halo device, but after getting a 2nd opinion from another neurosurgeon, he won't.

I'd have to say, that someone was watching out for my boss's son.

So, I guess when I think how much I think life sucks, I tend to have to think about others who are having to experience trials much worse then anything I'm currently going through and remind myself that life could be a hell of a lot harder and more stressful.