"I believe everyone should have a broad picture of how the Universe operates and our place in it. It is a basic human desire. And it also puts our worries into perspective."
- Stephen Hawking
"A brain hemorrhage puts it all in a deeper perspective. I'm one of the guys hit by lightning. I see the big picture. Everything is in perspective now. Let's just say I'm the kind of guy who knows how to enjoy the moment."
- Bret Michaels
"Call the Police.......someone ate my chocolate!!"
- Grandma Bean
As I came home from shopping the other day, my hubby greeted me with the words, "I have bad news." "Oh my gosh, what happened," I asked, alarmed. "The toilet in the ensuite has a leak," he told me. Well apparently we have very different ideas on what constitutes "bad news". Bad news to me is your Grandma died or the dog is sick or your hubby found that Mars Bar you have been hiding in the back of the cupboard, and ate it. It got me thinking about what we consider bad news.
Coming from my Nursing background, I have a very clear idea of what is and is not bad news. The worst thing I ever had to deal with in my Nursing career was when a beautiful young man from a loving family made a very foolish decision to try to smuggle a very small amount of cocaine into the country after traveling. He swallowed a condom filled with cocaine, the condom broke open as his plane landed and he ended up in my ICU on a ventilator. He lived three days but never regained consciousness. The hardest call I ever had to make was to his family when they finally left to get a little rest and I had to tell them he was not doing well and to come back quickly. So to me, bad news is certainly not "the toilet is leaking."
Here are some definitions to keep in mind:
Catastrophe: A sudden unexpected event that causes great damage or suffering; a final decisive event, usually with a disastrous end.
Syn: Disaster, calamity, accident, cataclysm.
Inconvenience: Trouble or difficulty disrupting personal requirements or comfort; cause trouble or discomfort to.
Syn. Trouble, bother, nuisance, discomfort.
Broadly speaking, everything is relative. We all have bad days when things seem way worse than they actually are. But these are a few things to keep in mind for anyone who thinks a leaking toilet is bad news. Perspective is everything. You will never ever hear me uttering the words "bad news" or "bad luck," over anything that is a minor inconvenience. As long as my family is well, everything else is gravy. In the meantime, if you need me, I will be at the store. Apparently we are out of Mars Bars.
xoxo,
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