Good lessons in the gym
There's a young guy at the gym I go to--probably in his early thirties--who I saw again last night that made me conclude that I really don't have any actual problems in my life. This guy has fairly serious burns and scarring over his face and scalp and one of his hands was burnt severely so that most of his fingers are missing half their length. I admire how composed and confident he is as he goes about his workout--he's in great shape and he is clearly making the best of a tough situation. Some people, no doubt, would shrink away from the public eye and avoid others. It would be difficult--especially in the gym with all the mirrors--to stand side by side with all these "normal looking" people and have it emphasized in the mirror in front of you how different you look. And it would be easy and natural and normal to ask "why me?" and feel sorry for yourself. I know I would not handle this as well as this impressive guy does.
The other thing I've observed in the gym--while on this sobering topic--is that there are a couple of nice deaf guys who come in frequently and sign animatedly with each other. (I guess all good sign language should be animated and expressive right?) However, I was struck that nearly everyone but them was walking around with ipod buds in their ears and I couldn't help but wonder what that must be like for them--to see so many people enjoying music and missing out on it completely themselves. Truly, most of us don't have any "real problems."