Reality Check About How Good Things Are




This is my reality check to help me remember that I'm doing WAY better than just getting by. In this graph the very bottom is death, like you're in the grave. The very top is you're thriving, like things couldn't be better. The middle of the graph is obviously just getting by. I'm sure some graphic artist (ahem, Brittany Douglas) could make this look fabulous, but here's what I got.

Line B is like: there's riots in my city and we had to board up the windows and my husband can't drive to work because of the fuel restrictions and the water pipes broke from the aerial hate-bombs. We can't get to the store because of the shootings and my son has whooping cough and I contracted leprosy and we can't sleep at night because of the helicopters and the pollution is getting into the windows and the electricity just went out and all our bedding has bedbugs and the roaches crawl over our faces at night and my right hand fell off and a bomb dropped on our house and . . . I died.

Line A is like: I got a new job and I like my coworkers and it's what I've always wanted to do and it's paying the bills and I live in a safe and beautiful neighborhood. My friends just threw me a great birthday party and I feel so loved. My kids are doing well in school and their teachers appreciate them. My marriage is going strong and my in-laws think the best of me and I just ate at Napa Rose at the Disneyland Grand Hotel!

I think it's obvious that my life is neither line A nor line B. In reality, my life is most like line C. I am always doing way better than just getting by. In fact the only time I dipped down below just getting by was that time I had two babies crying their heads off with coughs and I had a UTI and I just threw up and I had no food appropriate for the stomach flu. But that only lasted for like an hour because then my relatives swooped in and bailed me out.

All my other ups and downs are fairly minor things like, the bathtub water won't drain, the baby got an ear infection, I offended so-and-so and I feel really bad. All those minor things just show that I have water and drains and ears and doctors and friends and a conscience. Praise God! Life is pretty good.

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