I remember the first time...

"Things could be worse."

How often do you remind yourself of that simple phrase? How many times have you truly believed it in your adult life? 

I KNOW things could be so much worse. As frustrating as things can be, I've got a healthy family, a beautiful home, terrific friends, and a little money in my pocket. Things could be so much worse. I know people who are struggling more than I can ever imagine.

It came to me this week that I remember the first time I realized that someone had it worse than me. I was in second grade. I can remember thinking to myself at that very moment "I'm glad I'm not THAT kid."

Here's the story...

When I was in second grade, I broke my leg. I was ice skating on the pond in Depew Park in Peekskill. One second I'm up and the next I'm down. I think I tripped on a twig. I knew right away that my leg was broken. I don't know why I was so sure, but I just knew it was broken. My father took some convincing, but that's not the point.

Fast forward, I end up spending several days in the hospital. I remember a few moments from this experience. One in particular stands out. I was practicing how to use my crutches by going up & down the hall in the pediatric unit. And here's where I remember thinking "I'm glad I'm not THAT kid."

I remember hearing a kid screaming and as I hobbled past this kid's room, I looked in. It appeared to me that a doctor or nurse was poking needles under his finger nails or into his fingertips. I hadn't seen the movie Clockwork Orange yet, so I have no idea whether this was actually happening but still today it sounds like torture and I hope it was just my young (obviously distorted) imagination. Nonetheless, at that moment, I was thankful that I was just trying to figure out how to balance on crutches. I was really glad not to be THAT kid, and learned on the spot that "things could be worse."