We all have problems…so obviously mine don’t matter

I came from the doctor’s office yesterday afternoon with devastating news. Basically, my life has to change completely in the next few weeks (actually, the previous few weeks even before I was told the news, but my reaction sort of added some time), or things will just get hugely worse and then that will pretty much be the end of that. From an economic cost-benefit-analysis, the obvious approach is to just do it. But from a lifestyle perspective, that’s never going to happen.

Now, there’s a fraction of a chance that the next test can turn positive, much like the Titanic could have been fortunate enough to just end up in shallow water towards the end there, but let’s just say that historically my luck has never really run that way. If I’ve been unable to influence the final vote, fate has had a really fickle approach of taking me as far down the rabbit hole as theoretically possible.

But this isn’t really about that. I can go through the five stages of grief and acceptance at another time. What I thought I would talk about is how bad people are at responding to such situations.

First, let’s start with the doctor’s assistant who sort of ended up being my first encounter upon knowing the news that my life was probably going to suck a whole lot in the future. Normally, this is a somewhat friendly person, but on this day, every moment of conversation with her was almost like I had done something to upset her day. And this is even before the proclamation was made by the doctor.