Pity Party Over Here

(Due to the week-long visit from Allie, I wasn't able to have an art update this week. Still, I felt like enough stuff happened that I would just do a normal post.)

Do you ever have moments when you stop and realize that your life, however much you complain about it, is all sugar and spice and everything nice compared to the lives of others? Recently I've been faced with a situation where someone close to me has let me see, just a little, of what it's like to live a life that's not sugar-coated.

I know we've all been in that place where we feel that no one could possibly understand how terrible it is to be "you." I, personally, am an expert at throwing pity parties; I'm the best host, and do I ever love company. But when I reflect on the events of my life, the good and the bad, I can say this: Yes, I do have things that have happened to me that I wouldn't wish on anyone, but I've never been wanting for a stable family or loving friends. Every time I've fallen and struggled to pick myself back up, there has always been someone close to reach down and help me. Without my family and friends I wouldn't have the strength to carry on. I admit that readily. Maybe that makes me a weak person, maybe not. I'm not saying that I rely entirely on them for support when things in my life get screwy, but it's comforting to know that they are there if I ever ask for help.

Because of this friend's current situation, I've been given a chance to re-evaluate how I see my life and I ask that everyone do the same. People get so wrapped up in their own worries and forget that there are other people suffering just as much as they are. Some don't have the support and love that a family provides. Some don't have friends to cry to. Some don't have anything at all. So I urge myself, and others, to ponder before pitying. Our lives aren't always as cry-worthy as we think.