When I was speaking to my friend Bruce a few days ago about making the decision to euthanize Snickers, he said, “Of course it’s an awful decision to have to make. It’s the end of an era. Snickers was with you through many really hard times in your life that most people never get close to having to experience.”
I agree that Snickers was by my side, everyday, for 14 years. And we certainly experienced our share of tragedies and triumphs during that time. But what I thought was, “Everybody has something.”
My reply to Bruce was, “My life isn’t that special. We’ve all had good times and bad times. They’re plenty of other people who’ve had it much harder than me.”
Bruce though wouldn’t let it go. He wanted to drive home the point that Snickers and I had forged a bond that was extra special because of “unusually extreme” hardships.
I didn’t argue with him because I understood what he was doing. He was being empathetic. He was crediting me with handling some of the significant hardships I’ve dealt with in the past 14 years. He was acknowledging my bond with Snickers.
He was being a friend.
Even so, I refuse to spend time wallowing in self-pity at the circumstances of my life.
- I can always find someone whose hardships were worse than mine. Far, far worse.
- Comparing my blessings and luck (or lack thereof) never makes me feel better.
- Social media has made whining about how hard you have it into an Olympic sport.