I've made better life choices since last writing. However, I have come to know about some unfortunate life choices others have had to make in addition to my own. These unfortunate life choices pain me to think of; some just make me down right angry.
publicdomainpictures.net
You nailed it right there, Goat.
For example, there was an astonishing photo online that my husband showed me. My description won't do it justice, but it was a city on the Gaza strip with a dense dark cloud looming over the city and bright, vicious orange flames at its center. It was chilling and dramatic and my jaw hung open as I contemplated the unfortunate life choices at play in this area. I read a snippit today about a father in that region who couldn't afford a prosthetic for his kid and therefore fashioned one out of a plastic bottle. What the actual fuck? At some point, the powers that be have got to recognize that there are people in the center of this continued battle over imaginary lines drawn on the landscape. The people who live there are not the ones at fault, but they are the ones who suffer. If you think they shouldn't choose to live there, I don't think it's that simple. I'm sure if they could leave that easily, they would move from the front lines. But eons of war and unfortunate choices by others have made their choice for them. Or limited them rather.
Swear Trek
You said it, McCoy.
Another unfortunate life choice I learned this week comes from one of my students. Before the holiday break, he got word that a friend of his had died in a car accident back in England where my student was born. He was trying so hard not to cry when he told me. I was immediately moved to tears myself, which made it just that much harder for him to keep it together. Anyway, break passed and I checked in with him last week to see how he was doing. That's when he told me that it had been a practical joke. I felt like I'd been sandbagged. I doubled over and then looked up at him (he's like 6'4") and said, "Are you serious!?!" I really wanted to let fly the expletives of anger, but I bit those back. He said yes. I can't even imagine what this young man went through for those hours that he thought his friend was dead. I wanted to go over the pond and throttle those knuckleheads who thought this act of sheer cruelty was funny. Talk about unfortunate choices. I wouldn't be surprised if my student didn't talk to them for many moons to come.
Swaer Trek
Me inside when I learned of this "joke".
Closer to home, my husband and I had to complete the stupid wellness survey and bio-metric screening process for our insurance. Personally, if the insurance has paid out for an annual wellness exam, that's where their need to know ends. However, they make us jump through more hoops. Then they kindly offer free advice for everything from finance management to tobacco counseling. I quit smoking 11 years ago and they thought I might be interested in information on staying quit. Whatever people! The exchange for this is a reduced rate on our insurance plan. Many people have this hoop to jump through. The company says it's for our own benefit because of the support they offer, the knowledge we gain, and the individual wellness plan for our future. Except that wellness programs don't work. They are of absolutely no benefit to anyone, expect the company that says they will only use the information obtained for our benefit. They will keep it confidential and not use it to increase rates on those who are high risk. I call bullshit on that one, too. This is really just a form of extortion. They are punishing us with several hundred dollars worth of additional fees if we don't comply with their demand. Extortion. I had refused to play the game for a long time, but last year the additional fee became prohibitive. Now we have more work to do for nothing. Our doctor has additional work for nothing. The insurance company is really the only winner because they have us over a barrel when reducing their ridiculous administrative salaries and bonuses would reduce the subscriber fees way more. Maybe then seriously ill individuals wouldn't have to create GoFundMe pages to pay for medical costs.
Swaer Trek
Yeah, Janeway. Yet swallow it we shall because we have no choice.
Sometimes we make the unfortunate life choices. Sometimes someone else makes them for us. When that happens, we have no control over it; we just have to dig deep and ultimately submit. From the global to the personal, unfortunate life choices are ever-present, ever-exhausting, and ever-vexing. Fuck 'em all.
GrabdTetomNPS
So many choices. What is a moose to do?
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