I am a worrier. It’s what I do. It’s probably the bad side of being a high Strategic, but I can always see the bad paths as much as I can see the good paths. And I stress about them.
It doesn’t help that there are certain things in my life that are not ideal.
For example, as of today my dog is 9 years and 10 months old and my vet has told me that if she makes it to 10 that will be bonus time after that.
The last week her back left leg has just not been working well for her. To the point that she sits up and then decides she just doesn’t have it in her to stand and lays back down. Or she does stand up and then stumbles for the first few steps while that leg decides to work.
So I’ve been wondering when to call the vet for that last visit. Because as bad as that is, she’s still doing her daily walk and eating all her food. Once she gets going, she’s okay-ish.
I don’t want to call too soon if this is just a temporary muscle pull. But I also don’t want to wait too long and put her through pain she doesn’t deserve.
A real concern. A real issue. Something that is not going to improve long-term. She is an old dog and that can’t be fixed.
But…
Today I found out that a friend of mine unexpectedly lost her dog.
So here I am, worrying about my dog that is still making it through her morning walks okay and my friend just lost hers. My dog could still months. Maybe years. I don’t know. She does. For her, it’s over.
I have other worries or stressors in my life, too. But nothing like the friend whose adult child is currently traveling through a war zone. Or a couple others who are juggling high-stress jobs, sick kids, and lackluster husbands all at once. Or another who is dealing with a long-term illness and the end of an eighteen-year relationship.
Compared to that, my “I chose this path and in a year or two I will probably regret that, oops, but for now my day-to-day is actually pretty great” is…nothing.
It doesn’t mean my struggles or worries aren’t real. It just means I have a long, long way to go until I’m the one with the worst problems. And even then, someone out there I don’t know will have it much worse. I am past the age when certain horrific things could happen. I do not live in a country where other horrific things are a part of daily life. No matter how low my life gets, I’m pretty sure it won’t be the lowest one out there.
Again, doesn’t take away my personal worries or struggles. Just sometimes helps to put them into perspective.
M.L. Humphrey 