I had an eventful (for me) evening after work today. I actually didn’t get home until almost 9 pm (me the wild and crazy little rebel). I made one of my periodic pilgrimages to McKay’s Used Books. I had plenty of loot to trade and I managed to score a few good deals. Afterward, I did some fine dining at Taco Bell, a la one steak Doubledilla.

When I got to the counter, the guy in front of me was obviously exasperated at the slow service. He made a comment along the lines of “I guess the drive-thru is the only way to get service around here.” He left in a huff after 5-10 minutes of waiting. If that long.

I’m not here to bash the guy.

What I can say is that I can’t do the same. Ever since a friend of mine started talking about first world problems, my way of looking at life in America has changed. I have a really hard time getting upset over having to wait for fast food when so many people around the globe didn’t have anything at all to eat all day.

What is a first world problem? It’s something that would only be considered a problem if you’re middle-class suburban American used to microwaves, fast food, and other conveniences. It’s for people who probably won’t ever have to worry about where the next meal is coming from or if the water they’re drinking is clean or not.

God is opening my eyes to what people face in third world countries. Some walk for miles each day to bring back water that isn’t safe to drink, but it’s all they have. They can’t go down the street and buy bottled water from the nearest grocery store. Too many people (including children) will get sick and even die from drinking that contaminated water.

Here I am with multiple options of bottled water at my fingertips. How dare I complain? I am way more blessed than I deserve.

Here endeth the lesson. I’m not trying to make you feel bad for having conveniences, but I hope you will realize that in the grand scheme of things most of what bothers us isn’t really all that important and definitely not worth getting upset about. That’s all. Carry on.