By any reasonable measure, my "problems" are ludicrous. Professionally, for instance, I'm overemployed. During layoffs. And a recession. This is not the world's worst problem. Nevertheless, it's beating me down, and for a variety of reasons there's no solution in sight.
No solution in sight. That's the theme for 2009 so far. And man, am I temperamentally ill-suited to being passively unhappy, waiting for circumstances beyond my control to just change on their own. Or, more to the point, to not change. Yet that's the state of every crevice of my life right now.
What is it about human nature that compels people to tell the downcast that the real problem is with their attitude? Is it not possible to merely acknowledge that someone is in circumstances for which they are particularly ill-equipped? Empathy is all we ask. Chiding is what we receive.