Misery and its company

Recently I found out that there's a few people from high school (I graduated sixteen years ago) who can't stand me. Save your tears, I'm ok with it. What I was, was shocked. 


It began with an old classmate having a tree fall through her bedroom roof during a bad storm. Nobody was hurt, they were sleeping in the basement, and it was only the bedroom that was damaged. They had insurance, a place to stay at their parents house, and a trailer provided for them while repairs are being done to restore the bedroom.


Day after day went by and this chick is going on and on about how everything is horrible, she's devastated, has a headache, too much to do... sing me a song, oh violin player. 


Let me establish that I do feel badly about anyone going through any kind of a rough time. Especially when children are involved. I will always offer advice, a helping hand, a shoulder to cry on, or some lasagna and cupcakes. Well, this chick lives in another state, so I couldn't do much of that, but I did offer some positive thoughts when it first happened.


After maybe a week of pity posts from my old classmate, I thought of some advice to give her. Regarding a post that said she had a throbbing headache, I responded with something to the effect of, "Nobody was hurt, you have insurance, you have places to stay, and you're ending up with a new bedroom. Some thankfulness might take care of that headache". 


Now I really meant that with the best of intentions. The best thing you can do for someone in her situation is get her to pick up her big girl panties and get on with it. Or is that just me?

What she lost was minimal. And it was all being replaced. With accommodations for all their needs in the meantime.


She's lucky.


There are people who have lost everything to fires. Men and women who lost their jobs during the recession and are still struggling. Families who lost their homes to foreclosure, floods and hurricanes. And parents who are walking out of hospitals without their little ones. There is no insurance company in the world that can replace those kind of losses. It's not as simple as living in a trailer for three months waiting to move into your new bedroom and life goes back to normal.  


Well, she and a couple of her friends didn't agree with me. That's alright, not everyone does. But then they started some juvenile BS that took me back to elementary school. One girl, whom I barely even remember, said she couldn't stand me. Hmm, I must have made a bigger impression in her life than she did in mine. I'll have to go look her up in the yearbook, see if I can remember who she is. Or not.


Another chick, whom I don't know at all, jumped in with saying I must be too busy "kicking puppies" when I wouldn't respond to their immature taunts. I did respond to that, however, asking what she was talking about, but she didn't want to tell. Alrighty then.


NOTE; I do not kick puppies. Without reason. Just kidding. I don't.


These are full grown women, ladies and gentlemen. Wives, business owners, parents. Sticking their tongues out at me and calling me names. Because I told them something they didn't want to hear. I wonder if they stomped their feet while typing out their insults at me too? 


Moral of my story; appreciate what you have. Look on the bright side. Count your blessings. Think of people who have it far worse than you. And steer clear of people being negative, they can get nasty, mean, and childish. They don't want your advice, they just want your attention and sympathy because they lack their own coping skills. Misery loves company, and that's one party I refuse to attend.