You are allowed to complain

Have you ever expressed frustration over something only to have the listening party say something like, "At least you have a job," or "It could be worse"? That really, REALLY bothers me. Yes, I have a job when many do not. Yes, I have a roof over my head while many do not. And I appreciate how lucky I am based on those two things alone. But you know what? I'm still allowed to complain about life. It's called relativity. Not having someone die in a natural disaster or not having my husband in Afghanistan doesn't preclude me from bitching about money, relationships, or other things that might seem petty to those less fortunate than me.

If you've read any of my recent blog posts, you'll know that I have some pretty serious student loans to pay off. Student loans that I took out to pay for a degree that I am not using. Is that anyone else's problem other than my own? Absolutely not. Could it be worse? Heck yeah it could. Relative to the plight of a Nigerian refugee, my problems are nonsense. But relative to my life, to my first-world issues, it sucks big sweaty donkey balls. I hate being broke. It keeps me up at night. It keeps me from concentrating at work. It affects my relationship with my amazing boyfriend, and I fear it's starting to affect my sanity. If I don't do something about it, I will never be able to afford a mortgage, a new car payment, a vacation, not even a shopping trip to anywhere other than Target. Would any of that matter if I were diagnosed with a terrible disease tomorrow? Not in the least. Lucky for me, they're my BIGGEST worry at the moment.

So pardon me for living in a cool house in a great city and not fearing for my life on a daily basis. Excuse me for not worrying about how to feed my family, but instead about how I'm going to afford a ticket home to see my family who are all alive and well. I appreciate how lucky I am in all those regards, but I absolutely refuse to apologize for it.