Bad Days Are Relative

The next time you are thinking you've had a bad day, consider what our ancestors dealt with. And know that difficulty is relative.

Yesterday started off quite nicely. But by 5:30 pm I was obsessing on a commercial real estate contract that is in jeopardy and pondering the time I will be "forced" to sacrifice this weekend to save the deal for my clients. Forced, as in it might take time away from watching the Ohio State-Michigan football game this afternoon, and will cancel plans I have for tomorrow to take in the "Indoctrinate U" film screening in Cleveland. So here I am at the end of the day yesterday in a beautiful little wine shop in Upper Arlington, Ohio where I drop in some Fridays to share a few glasses of wine with acquaintances new and old, talk wine, life, politics, and general stuff. Not a care in the world, most would say. And all I can think about is my troubled business deal that will ultimately be resolved by Monday morning.

And yet, when you look back in time, and see what others faced on any given day, our "difficulties" don't seem so bad. Yesterday was November 16th. Here is a look at one event from the same day in 1833. It's a good reminder for me that even on our most harried days, "difficulty" is relative.