FLUSHING OUR PITY POT

 

 

“Honesty is as rare as a man without self-pity.”

Stephen Vincent Benet

 

Whose life is free from problems?

Sometimes, I ask this question to others when I find them complain about some problems in life. And, sometimes, I find myself questioned by others when I complain about my own. 

What I am trying to say is this: Nobody’s life is free from problems… And, nobody is fully free from complaining about problems in life!

So, let us not pretend, that we do not complain about our respective problems in life… There ‘are’ problems in life, and, we ‘do’ complain about them!

Perhaps, some of us complain more, while some of us complain less. It’s important, therefore, to examine to which category we belong – chronic or mild!

“It’s alright to sit on your pity pot every now and again,” says Debbie Macomber, “Just be sure to flush when you are finished.”

 

A while ago, when a young girl was complaining about her own problems, I found myself telling her the same thing, which, hundreds of times, others have told me:

“My friend, no matter how you feel, you better get up, dress up and show up. But, never give up.”

But, to this young lady, I also said this: “Make peace with yourself… with people in your life… You may have to let go some of your rigidity.”

I had to say this, because, “Never Give Up” is, often, grossly misunderstood and misused…

Often, Life has its own way of resolving our issues with it. Nothing, therefore, is permanent… No problem is chiseled on a hard rock… Every  one of them is written on sand on the seashore… When waves come, they take away what is written on the sand!

Perhaps, most of us take Life too seriously. That sums up why we go about with such heavy-voltage grumpiness… Yes, we forget to flush our pity pot, as Debbie Macomber says!

Last afternoon, I had called to enquire about the health of one of my very dear friends. A few months ago, he was diagnosed with Stage-4 of Lymphoma (A cancer of the Lymphatic system). I have known my friend for over thirty years, and admired him for his dynamism and enterprising spirit. He was, also, one of the most resourceful people I have seen in my life. So, the news of his health problem had left me quite disturbed. When I called him yesterday, quite apprehensively, his energetic response, chased away my own blues… “Doing well… only one (out of six) Chemo is left,” he said.

Bravo! There is still space in the glass, Sir!

My friend did not say, he had to suffer five painful Chemo-sessions (each one, day-long!)… He said, “Only one Chemo is left.”

Apprehensively, I asked him, any hair-loss?

“Oh Yes! Oh Yes!”

Which meant, “Obviously!”

“Change in skin colour?”

“HaHaHa… I was dark-skinned, anyway!”

I loved the way my friend was flushing his ‘pity pot’… In the process, I saw my own ‘pity pot’ getting flushed, too!

 

GERALD D’CUNHA

 

Pic’s: pixabay

 

Video: ict4eso