Leave me alone

Sometimes, I just don't feel appreciative. I know I should. I know that deep down, most people mean well and that where I am is a good thing. But I just don't feel it. I'm not saying I feel entitled or that I have a right to be happy, but I just don't always feel like reminding myself how things can be worse.

I was in a cold room this morning. Really cold. Fifty degrees cold. And I was there for 35 minutes with no coat on.

Not horrible you say. Remember those people who were prisoners of war, you say. Think about the freezing homeless people you say. And finally, I snap. Shut up, I say. Stop telling me how there are people starving in Africa, freezing in Russia or suffering from unimaginable diseases in Papua, New Guinea. I don't care. My empathy has taken a holiday in a warmer clime and I am sitting here now, not wanting to feel bad because I am cold while others might be colder.

So what will happen when I run into someone who complains because Summer is a bit too humid, or he has to walk an extra 5 feet to buy his latte? Will I lecture him about his own sense of entitlement, or will I stop myself and realize that he might be a good-hearted person who is just having a moment where he doesn't want to be reminded that puppies are being tortured somewhere so his petty problems aren't worthy of mention?

I don't know. I'll probably lecture him. Seems easier than thinking about his feelings.