WHEN YOU'RE GLAD ITS SOMEONE ELSE, NOT YOU.

Friday is here. It is only about five but I have been out already, helping the Emperor carry things to the car. He is working today. It is wonderful outside, quiet, a little breeze. The starting of a beautiful day. I have been on this Blog for awhile, trying to get new templates. I can get them but cannot see the button to make them stay. Sometimes I get really aggravated in not seeing well. I guess I should be thankful I still can see some. My Momma always said, "Count your blessings."

I don't think any of us really want something bad to happen to anyone else. Oh you might get mad sometimes and think you do. But really down deep most of us don't wish catastrophes on others. But when something bad does happen it is normal to be glad it wasn't us it happened too. Have you ever noticed when someone in the circle of people you know dies, within a week or so there will usually be two more. My Momma said they come in three's. You hear of one death, you feel bad. You hear of the second and you start getting nervous. Because you know almost for certain there is going to be a third. That's when you really start worrying. After all you're in the circle of people you know. Good grief what if its you? You act like its not dominating your thoughts. But its there in your mind. "I might be next."

Then someone calls you. "Hey," they say. "Have you heard old John Brown died?" Instant relief floods through you. You're not in the deadly three this time. "oh," you gush. "I'm so sorry to hear that, he was a really nice man." Inside your heart is doing a happy dance. The trio of death angels passed you by this time. You are of course sorry about John, but happier it wasn't you. Human nature of course.

Have you ever been driving down the street or highway and you look in the rear view mirror. All of a sudden a cops lights come on the top of his car and you hear his siren. "Dang," you think. "What have I done," with your heart racing you start to pull over. The policeman goes around you and starts after the car ahead. "Whee," you think. Thank goodness it wasn't me. A little up the road you pass the car pulled over and the cop is starting to write a ticket. "Poor guy ," you mutter. But you don't mean it. You are thrilled to death it was him and not you. Human nature again.

You awake around midnight, you hear a siren. Groggily you look at the clock. A little stab of fear awakens you a little more. This is about the time your adult child is leaving work. You sit up, surely nothing bad has happened. Or did your son go to the convenient store for a late cup of coffee? You lay back onto the bed. But you do not close your eyes. You wait, praying in thirty minutes or so the phone doesn't ring. Slowly after you have looked at the clock ten more times, you drift back to sleep. Waking in the morning you realize you made it through the night without a terrible call with bad news. Never stopping to think there may be someone else who received that call. You are just happy it was not you. That your little corner of the world is still intact, your children and others that inhabit your space are fine. Once again, human frailties enter the picture.

We truly are sad at someone else's misfortune but the instinct of human nature lets the relief and joy seep into our thoughts. The fickle finger of fate chose someone else this time and we got a free pass. It always makes me think when I am having problems and someone tells me they are sorry. I think, "Yeah, sure, you're glad its not you having this really terrible day." Rather me than you. yeah you got it, that human nature feeling once more.

Really I think its okay to feel that way. You're not wishing the bad MoJo on the other fella, you're just relieved that it didn't stop on you. at least for the present moment. So I personally Believe its okay to breath a sigh of relief as you tell someone how sorry you are for their terrible calamity. After all you're only human.

I posted this a minute ago, then called my sister to read it to her. She told me I hadn't gave my parting line. So for my sister. See ya later, but for now I'm outta here.