“It could be worse” - What does that even mean?

I'm feeling really drained today. Little one is sick (as I'm sure she will be for much of this winter as her immune system continues to build) which means I'm also fighting a cold and trying to juggle even more than normal.

These are challenges that many of us face on a daily. Or I should say, challenges that some of us are lucky enough to face because I know many of my friends would trade their left kidney for the chance to have little ones to look after (albeit without the tissue mountain that is steadily growing by my side!).

And yet, right here and right now, I don't feel so lucky. My body wants to curl up in a ball under a duvet in front of the TV with a hot cup of tea an some mind numbing distraction. It doesn't want to go an cook the Thai salmon and sesame noodles only to be told "We didn't want this for dinner today". Or to have someone whining every time Winnie the blooming Pooh stops playing, so I have to ask Alexa to play it yet again for the 27th time. Or to be sitting here in front of the computer writing this blog. Okay, that's a lie, I do quite like writing the blog but you get the idea.

When you have dependents, there is never a day off!

One of the first conversations my husband and I had when coronavirus became a reality was exactly how we'd cope if one or (God forbid) both of us get it. We're blessed to have family close by who are always happy to help but this is one situation where we wouldn't be able to call on them and that is a scary thought. What did we come up with? Well if one of us gets it then it's upstairs to isolate as much as possible. If both of us get it together then it's a case of suck it up and hope we get through it. Not particularly inspiring, I know. If anyone has any magic solutions then answers on a (virtual) postcard please!

So what is my point, here? (Apart from that I am awfully lucky to have a beautiful family and to have not caught coronavirus yet). The point my friends, is that this is the instant where someone in my family would pipe up and say:

"Well, things could be so much worse. At least it's not like( _______insert horrific story about Uncle Bob's brother's sister's dog's best friend's daughter who suffered from something awful and truly shocking)"

The worst part is I don't even need them around anymore. The words "It could be worse" seem to have been tattooed onto my brain. What's the problem, you may be wondering? Well, while it is true, my predicament is far more favourable than Uncle Bob's brother's sister's dog's wife's daughter, my suffering or discomfort is no less real. By saying things could be worse, we are delegitimizing our right to express the pain we feel. It is always helpful to maintain a level of perspective, however,  it is also fair to say we can all benefit from being allowed to acknowledge our challenges, no matter how big or small. In fact, I would go a step further and say this is actually the healthy way to process and move on from such situations. (I did say acknowledge, not dwell but that is a topic for another day.)

So there it is. If like me, your response to life's challenges is "It could be worse", just remember, it could totally be worse but you are entitled to feel your frustration because it could also be better.

And more importantly, it will.