By Carol Lucas
Last week I said that this month I was going to write just about those ideas that are positive because, after all, it is the holiday season. So if the season is my reason, excuse the turn of the phrase, I am determined to stick with it.
I think it becomes very easy, especially this time of the year, to be stressed and entangled in what we perceive as problems. My granddaughter frequently uses the phrase “a first-world problem.” Of course, this is accompanied by a rolling of the eyes and no small amount of sarcasm.
But she is right. Often what we determine are problems in our everyday lives are simply annoyances in comparison to what is happening around the world.
Earlier in the month I was doing some baking, and in the middle of my preparation, found that I lacked a necessary ingredient. Had I not started the project, I could have waited till the next day to buy what was called for. Instead, I had to drop everything, make myself semi-presentable for public eyes, and run to the store. I was stressed, I was angry, and I was ridiculously over the top, given the nature of the so-called problem.
First off, how lucky am I to be able to have the money to purchase the needed item? Furthermore, that I have an automobile with gasoline in it at my every day disposal is more evidence of my good fortune. Inconvenience because of my failure to check for all needed ingredients? Yes. A problem? Hardly.
I wear hearing aids. I fought them for a while until my younger daughter, who is never reticent about telling me I have left the beaten path of logic, pointed out that I had no problem wearing glasses. So what was the big deal about hearing aids? This was five years ago.
I couldn’t respond with logic, so I finally succumbed and was astounded by what I had been missing. I might add that in some respects what I missed was probably best.
So this past week, Friday, of course, one of my aids went out. It emitted some previously unheard sound, and simply died. I know there are those of you out there that can empathize.
In calling the office of my audiologist, I was told she was not in, but that I could bring the device in for testing. Great news … almost. The result was that the hearing aid had to be sent away for repair, and I could probably get a set of loaners when I could be scheduled next week, the operative word being “when.”
You see, I have plans to travel over the holiday, so scheduling is important. Note: I just typed the word “crucial” before changing it to important. You see how easy it is to be caught up in the drama? First-world problem!
This past Sunday, I had planned a “drop-in” party for several people, making it a casual affair of short duration because I know this time of the year calendars are full to the brim. By Saturday, the weather forecast looked pretty grim, but I decided to soldier on, hoping the forecasters might be wrong, or the pending storm might be swept out to sea, or that it might be much milder for our small town, tucked away.
By Sunday, noon, those far-fetched, delusional wishes were washed away, every pun intended. I felt I could not expect people to come out in weather like this, and when I contacted them, they were in agreement. All plans on hold. Much food to the freezer. Another first-world problem.
I make light of the issues I have put forth, and with good reason. I, as well as every other type-A personality, need to stop, take a deep breath, and assess where we are, and how lucky we are.
War rages on two fronts, and people are being killed during this season of hope. There are those for whom Christmas will be just another day – no gifts, no table set with special dinnerware, and bountifully adorned with way too much food. There are those who will be mourning the loss of a loved one, no beautiful colors of red and green and gold, but only shades of gray.
So I ask all of you to be very thankful if your holiday is one of pure joy. As for me, I am going to forget about a defunct hearing aid and a delayed party. Instead, I plan to focus on holding my great grandson who is now six months old and has a 1,000-watt smile that lights up the room. I will whisper a prayer of gratitude for having my family around me and I will wish for peace on this earth, goodwill toward ALL men.
Carol Lucas is a retired high school teacher and a Lady’s Island resident. She is the author of the recently published “A Breath Away: One Woman’s Journey Through Widowhood.”
