Being Thankful for 1st World Problems
I have relatives who knew real problems, living in ghettos under Nazi control. You've seen the movies, you've read the books, you've heard the stories. It was a million times worse than anything you can imagine. Likewise, when I was in my twenties I survived a major health scare. The kind of health scare that puts everything else -- all your problems -- in serious perspective. Still, today, in 2011, I admit that I suffer from first world problems. This morning, for instance, I pulled on the dental floss and a little piece, about 2 inches, came out of the dispenser and it was suddenly empty. Nobody can floss with a 2 inch piece of floss, right? I was momentarily displeased. Yesterday, I had a heckuva time getting my son dressed and in his car seat and to preschool on time. We wound up arguing and I was in a very bad mood afterwards. "Oy, do I have problems," I thought. But again, let's keep it in perspective: this, by comparison, is a first world problem.
As Thanksgiving approaches, I'm doing a lot of thinking about this subject, and am thankful for the fact that most of my problems, if not all of my problems, are not real problems at all. In the grand scheme of things, when you have relatives who perished in the Holocaust, or friends who've suffered through breast cancer, what problems are really worth stressing about? How about you all? What kind of first world problems are you embarrassed to say really get your goat? Maybe your Internet download speed isn't fast enough. Maybe you think you pay too much in taxes. Maybe a certain app you want to buy is only available on iPhone but you have Android. Confession time. Leave your first world problems anonymously or otherwise in the comments below. Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I am most thankful for the loyal readership I've watched grow here on mental_floss blog over the last six years. Keep coming back, we really appreciate you!