In a funk

Why do I sorry for myself when there are people in the world suffering so much more than I am? Now I'm not talking about poverty in third world countries, or homeless people on Yonge...fortunately there are people who care deeply enough for them to do something about it. And if I could properly take care of myself, then I would probably be able to do something for them as well. But I'm talking about the people who have shared their life stories with us recently and who serve as examples of survivors of traumatic experiences.

For one, the man who had one of the most severe types of strokes, who managed to go from not being able to speak at all and being physically paralyzed to being able to regain motor function and walk on his own. A young woman around my age spoke to us about her fiance who died by electrocution on a job site. She spoke so passionately, with a waiver of emotion in her voice, but she was still able to remain stoic. Her life's devotion now is to prevent workplace deaths from ever occurring. And the girl in our class who shared with us that her fiance is dying of ALS.

These stories are shining examples of people who are dealing with or have overcome adversity. They share with us their deepest and most personal events that are without doubt the most impactful events of their lives. Sometimes when I'm feeling low, I think to these examples and wonder if the things going on in my life even compare to what they went through. It puts some things into perspective if you will. But at the same time, it would be foolish to focus on external or unrelated examples to help solve my problems. So the question is, what can I do to solve my problems?