Not the same boat

We might be in the same storm, but also…. we might not be in the same kind of boat. This is something I think about a lot.

Sometimes, as I’m driving through the million-dollar homes that surround my area, I wonder what it would feel like to have that life. But then, I remind myself that even finances do not declare which boat you land in. Some people are living the dream that they built, some people live above their means, some live off of inheritance, and some live disassociated from it all. There are those who might be poor in material things, but rich in love, some are rich in friends, but poor in family. So many different boats, weathering the same storm. It makes me think that it’s all kinda like the three little pigs….. The boat of straw, sticks, and bricks.

Another thing I think about is how life is a crap shoot….. Some people spend their whole lives trying to upgrade their boat, and despite their best efforts, it doesn’t happen. And to be brutally honest, sometimes it pisses me off that there are those nepotism-babies who seem to be given everything, ride their lives off of that, and are giant undeserving assholes. Some even ride it into higher offices and positions in life. But I digress. I have no answers, only observations.

For example, one observation is this: How fucked up is a life where you have to decide if you can be sick or not?? Recently I was put into that position. The fun started when I was needing to decide if I really wanted to get properly diagnosed as being sick. Do I pay the money to find out that I’m going to have to pay a shit ton more money, or…. do I just let the chips fall where they fall and approach life like they did before even having the privilege of knowing about these certain issues….. I’m a (single) mom, so I did the responsible thing, I had the tests run. $1000 later, I’m in the clear…. For now. I’ll likely have to repeat the tests next year. By that time, I’ll have paid off the medical bills from the previous visit. Yes, we’re in the same storm, but not the same boat. How many people have died because they can’t afford diagnosis? How many people have died, because though they were diagnosed, they can’t afford treatment? We are in the same storm…. But it isn’t the same boat. It’s never the same boat. We are in so many different boats… An inflatable boat, a rowboat, a speedboat, a yacht, a cruise ship, and whatever it is the Kardashians can afford….  Yes, we’re in the same storm…. But It’s not the same boat.

I’ve no answers, only observations, and I’d like to think understanding…. I know there are parts of my life that afford to me to be in a better boat than others. I also know, I still struggle. A lot. And there are those, in a better boat than mine, and they are struggling, too. When there is a storm, it sucks for everyone. In a huge storm, there are casualties and many will lose their boats, no matter what the size. I think about that, too.

ANYway, I’m in that mood that happens when the winter feels as if it has had a hold too long and the darkness has had its way with me. Soon, summer will be here, and the skies will be blue and no matter what boat a person is in, sunshine feels like wishes coming true. After winter, sunshine and warmth seem to provide a temporary reprieve from all things bad… and from storms of all sizes.

May y’all soak up the sun….. Summer is almost here.

xoxo