First World Problems...by Gina Waite

I was feeling badly for myself the other day ... you know one of those days when it seems that no matter what you do, you cannot do anything quite right!  ... And the world, as you know it,  is out to get you!!!

It started off with me getting into the shower and pulling my curved shower curtain rod down onto my head!  Then, as I was washing my face ... got soap in my eye!  Towel-dried and dressed in my unders ... I slipped on a little puddle of water on the tile and nearly performed the unforgettable Jean Claude Van Damme splits.  Shortly after picking myself up off the tile, and making sure my inner thigh muscles were still attached ... I bit the inside of my cheek while eating my healthy, boiled egg and morning toast ... to say my day started off a little rough would be a huge understatement!

The day continued...and so did my bad luck!  I was driving my kids to and from their various activities (praying that our third vehicle would be up and running from the mechanics by the next day so my teenage son could drive himself to his activities) and realized the reflection of red and blue hues hitting my face from my rear-view mirror were from the officer who was following me and NOT the beautiful crystal I have dangling from my mirror!  After getting a five-mile-over-the speed-limit warning and a reminder to sign my vehicle registration (stupid girl this is the second time I've been reprimanded for that) I drove away feeling deflated and completely picked on!

That's about when I met her ... the girl who helped me to realize I was having "first world problems!"  I pulled into my local grocery store to do a mad dash of pickup-pay and I noticed a lady standing by a vehicle with her baby in arm and little child holding to her leg.  Clearly there was something wrong with the vehicle as there was a light haze of smoke coming from under the hood of the car.  The look of despair on the lady's face was so apparent that I quickly came to the realization that the car, and the impending cost of repairs, must be hers.  I couldn't help but walk over and ask if I could be of some assistance.

Upon further discussion, this lady  informed me that having been newly divorced, and without family nearby ... she would love transportation from where we stood, to the house of a friend she was staying with.  She was hoping she could get her children ready for bed and asleep before deciding what her next step should be.  After a quick trip into the store to purchase formula for her baby ... I took this lady, and her two sweet little children, to the home where they were living on a temporary basis!  As the lady stepped out of my car and retrieved her little ones from my vehicle, she thanked me profusely for coming to their rescue!

As I drove away from the little house ... a renewed appreciation of my own "first world problems" humbled my soul!  Before this opportunity of service, I was all ruffled about the day I was having but after meeting this lady, a reflection of the days events helped give me this new found  perspective:

*My morning shower, heavy on this mishaps, had been in a house of my own WITH warm water!  Water ... may I remind myself ... that I did not have to carry from a river and warm over a fire before taking a bath!  And the Jean Claude Van Damme splits ... well that was just plain funny!

**I bit my lip while eating my breakfast but had something wonderfully healthy to eat ... and I get to eat again throughout the day!

***Having one, of our three cars, in the shop for repairs was a small inconvenience considering we have two running vehicles and money to pay for repairs on the third!

****Being pulled over by an officer, living in a country where there is regulation and need for accountability is a great blessing ... the other option would be anarchy and we know how that worked in "Lord of the Flys!" 

*****Last but not least, if I were ever in need of help, I have a huge support of family and friends that would rally around me and every one of my needs would be met!

... like I said before ... First World Problems!  

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