I’m BACK!

And with that big announcement…

Why THIS blog you may ask? Why THIS blog after being blog MIA for the past 6 months…?

To be honest, I never really know when or why an idea hits, but if I were to take a wild guess, I’d say that maybe my drive to write this particular blog has come from my own personal situation and its innate ability to put my personal problems into perspective. Or maybe it’s the visits with my family in Mexico and witnessing first hand JUST how little can make them happy. But most likely, it’s probably a combination of both the aforementioned.

First World Problems. We are all faced with them. For many of us, we find ourselves trying to battle them Every. Single. Day… And don’t get me wrong, most of the time the struggle is REAL. We Legit find ourselves stressed out to the max about the ‘craziness’ in our world, which doesn’t even exist in the majority of Third World countries. The little things we worry about to the point of near or total nervous breakdowns don’t even cross the minds of those who are simply struggling daily to put food on their table.

Whether it is a problem with nail polish that won’t dry QUITE quick enough, a dress that doesn’t fit QUITE tight enough, a mosaic tile that doesn’t have QUITE enough Sparkle, a paint colour that doesn’t QUITE mesh with the rest of our decor, a love we can’t QUITE forget, our children’s toys for which we can’t find QUITE enough storage, a selfie that didn’t turn out QUITE right, a day that’s too hot, too cold, too humid, too dull, or just not QUITE right, a vacation that wasn’t QUITE what we envisioned, An iPad without QUITE enough battery, a cellphone without QUITE enough data, OR a fridge FULL of food, but one without QUITE the right variety…

Oh dear! The struggle is REAL (or so it appears)

The list above barely even grazes the surface. Us lucky First World civilians create problems of which a good portion of the world couldn’t even dream.

WHY?… Because they’ve never even heard of the term ‘Shellac’, or ever had enough money to go dress shopping. Their most decorative object is a table cloth gifted 10 years ago (which by the way they LOVE), and a vacation? YA. RIGHT.

They have children who don’t understand why Santa Claus doesn’t visit THEIR house, and therefore never get ‘A’ new toy, let-alone 20!

For the majority of them, any selfie is a great selfie because it means they’ve had the opportunity to explore a new camera, and if most lucky, a new cellphone. A phone which is perfect just the way it is, no matter how many gigabytes of data it has loaded within, or how crystal clear its camera is. And NO… they don’t necessarily understand how gut-wrenching it is to look into a fridge full of food but to have to go a DAY without Nutella… Because first of all, they find themselves lucky to be able to look into a fridge at all, and second, if it solely has toast and butter inside, they find themselves #winning.

But hey! sometimes it’s okay to get lost in the problems only we notice, because trust me, non shellac nail polish is one of my BIGGEST pet-peeves. Yes, I too, often get caught up in the problems of us First ‘Worlders’… it happens, and it’s okay.

It happens because we are lucky enough to live in a country where we DO have heated debates regarding which mosaic tile to choose, and whether we should upgrade to the newest android vs iphone, hardwood floors Vs. sturdy laminate, granite counters Vs. quartz, Cable TV Vs. an android box, a new Honda Vs. Hyundai, Cadillac Vs, Lexus, to register for another season of Soccer Vs. Tennis, Personal training Vs. Group classes, to buy a new 3 bedroom house Vs. 4 bedrooms, and whether or not that new fireplace mantle really adds the ‘pizzazz’ for which we were hoping.

All of this is okay to ponder about. Whether it’s these exact examples or not, we are ALL guilty of worrying about things which others can’t even fathom. There are levels of First World problems, some worse than others… But YES, your gross cold that you WILL get over no matter how awful it feels at the time, is STILL a first world problem.

What’s even more important than recognizing all of this, is snapping the heck out of it, and beginning to focus on what’s really important, or for lack of better terms… Finding a REAL problem.

We all have them… REAL problems. But sometimes we focus so much on the superficial that we forget to solve the issues of real importance. The ones that will help us to become healthier people, better friends, better parents, better spouses, betters sisters, better brothers, better sons, better daughters, better co-workers, and just down right better civilians.

Before I had MS, I was the QUEEN of first world problems, because quite frankly, I never really thought any different. I was young, healthy and ignorant to many of the REAL problems which continue to plague our world. Classic FWTCS (First World Teenage Civilian Syndrome)

BUT then I grew up. I grew up faster than I wanted to and I was faced with a REAL problem. Still not a full blown Third World problem, but a REAL one non-the-less. One with a magnitude I wasn’t sure I would ever be able to handle. But 8 years later I’m still here. I’ve made it. (so far), and despite the weakness and pain that troubles my body every day, I truly believe that in many other ways, I’m stronger than ever. I started focusing on what really matters, the REAL problems…and although I may still have the occasional relapse into the “FIRST WORLD PROBLEM FRENZY,” I have become more aware of what REAL problems are, how to approach them, and how to worry LESS about the superficial.

I am FAR from perfect, I am pretty sure we all are, but it’s time to start putting our First World problems last and our REAL ones first. And if you just so happen to be part of the lucky .000001% who doesn’t have a REAL problem, just simply look to your right, left, deep within, or across the globe, because there is ALWAYS someone who would love the help! And if you find yourself on the opposite end of the spectrum with First World problem overload, just take a deep breath, reel it in, and REMEMBER… There is ALWAYS someone who would love to have your bad days.

#firstworldproblemfrenzy #suckitupbuttercup #bestrongandmoveon #perspective #firstworldproblemslastandrealonesfirst #braverthanyourbattle