Problems vs Inconveniences

The past couple of weeks a few of my friends have been telling me the various troubles that have been weighing them down.  And after listening to them, I often share something I’ve learned years ago.

One of the things I’ve learned is to not sweat the small stuff.  Life is too short to allow life’s small inconveniences & annoyances to irritate you for too long.  If someone wants to cut ahead of me in line at the cash register, I’m ok with it.  I’m not one to allow something as petty as that to ruin part of my day.  If someone says a mean or insensitive remark, I let it slide.  I always assume someone is just having a bad day or just simply doesn’t know how to handle their anger or stress at the moment, or is just plain ignorant & tactless.  If it’s really below the belt, then I won’t let it pass, of course, but for the most part, I just ignore senseless remarks.

I’m reminded of something I read a long time ago.  I can’t remember the details of the story, but I remember the gist.  Life presents us with either problems or inconveniences.  Problems would be things like a loved one dying from cancer, being in a car accident & having a broken limb, your house on fire,  or having nothing to eat.  Everything else is an inconvenience.

That’s something I tell myself often when something comes up – is this really a problem or just an inconvenience?  And I’ve learned that 99% of the time, it’s the latter.  Learning to separate the real problems from mere inconveniences has made my life so much less stressful.  And gives me more time to enjoy the simple pleasures in life. 

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Author: Den Dominguez

I'm a 42 year old mother of two boys ages 19 & 8. I've lived 21 years in the Philippines, 14 years & counting in the US, five years in Japan & nearly two years in Rome, Italy. I love reading, learning, hanging out with family & friends, traveling, & occasionally, writing.

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