First World Problems

Boko Haram kidnaps then forcibly marries off 200 teenage girls, Reyhani Jabbari put to death just weeks ago in Iran for the self-defense killing of the man who raped her, fifteen-year-old Malala Yousafzai shot in the head while riding the bus to school because she believed girls should be educated. Crushing. These tragic stories of the life and death struggles women experience every day in other parts of the world are simply soul crushing.
It’s my morning ritual to start my day by checking out the news online. Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon to see one of these stories. And for the most part I file them away in the same place in my brain where I bury the plane crash stories (because I fly pretty frequently), and the fatal car crashes (because not a day goes by without me driving and even on my best days I’m not the greatest driver).

But sometimes when I’m having a pity party because my roots are three inches long, my fingernails look like chopped meat, and I haven’t had more than one day off with my family in the last two weeks that these stories pop out of the filing cabinet in my mind. Then I roll my eyes and think, “these are first world problems you wimp. Now put on your big girl panties and suck it up!” After all, I am the girl who laughs at any and all of the Real Housewives of Whatever County for their ridiculous petty drama. I am above such self-indulgent, self-absorbed wallowing.

Or am I? Or more importantly, should I be?

Because, you know, sometimes this work life balance thing can be ridiculously hard and overwhelming. And while I know the passing of a family pet isn’t on par with Reyhani Jabbari’s death sentence – like not even close – that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be honored by me. I shouldn’t pretend it doesn’t affect me and my family and just sweep it all under the rug and forge ahead. If I’m working like a dog and miss my kids I need to admit it isn’t healthy, honor my guilty feelings, and then make some changes. First World problems may seem trivial to us at times but they are what challenge to make our lives, and the lives of our families better. And that is something worth fighting for.

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