ON BEING WORSE

It was a very frustrating morning. I feel like my job - especially lately - has really hammered home the "darker" nature of people. Whether it's how they treat each other, how they treat themselves, or how they treat me...it's been a real struggle to continue choosing a positive attitude (or, at the very least, a non-negative attitude).

When other people come to me with situations like this, I often think or say "It could be worse." I think I've come to realize how hollow that expression is.

Example: My brother and I were hanging out with friends a few years back. They were discussing drinking habits and alcohol consumption. My brother (or I) revealed his surprisingly large volume of alcohol consumed on a daily basis and one friend turned to the other and said "Wow, and I thought I had a drinking problem." Before I could stop myself, I countered with "Just because his problem is worse doesn't mean you don't have a problem." We all laughed and moved on to other topics (hot tub skinny-dipping, most likely).

But I think that's an example of where "It could be worse" falls short. Just because things aren't going all the way off the rails isn't a cause for celebration. Could things be worse? Sure, things could always be worse. But that doesn't mean they're good, or not worth fixing (when fixable). Don't tell me that things could be worse. Tell me how things could be better, so we can get there.

Also, I am pro hot tub skinny-dipping, as long as it's your hot tub. The neighbors'? No thank you.