“Oh my God. I can’t believe this. I’m just… ugh. Awful.”

I was beating myself up like a punching bag. Mental self violence. One way train ticket to Negativity Town. Choo effing choo.

Why, you may ask?

Did I smack one of my children in the face in a moment of rage? Did I cheat on my husband? Sell narcotics to a teenager on the street corner and then use the money to start a dog-fighting business?

Nope. None of those things.

My crime was…

Failing to cook an organic dinner for my family.

Yes.

For serious.

I had all of the ingredients ready to go. I had my recipe cards. Clean dishes and pans. All the fresh produce had been delivered to my doorstep by a fancy food-delivery company. ALL I HAD TO DO was chop a few veggies and mix some shizzle together. But I overscheduled myself and ran out of time. My family was hungry and… no dinner.

So OBVIOUSLY I am a terrible excuse for a wife, mother and human being and deserve intense punishment. At least, according to the “mean girl” in my mind.

I wallowed in misery for a few moments and then… snapped back into reality.

“Oh… wow,” I realized. “This is NOT a big deal. AT ALL. This might actually be the most ‘first world’ of all the first world problems I’ve EVER had.”

Reality check: complete.

I laughed and let it go.

Here’s what I know:

Sometimes, life is heinous and disastrous and we need deep, powerful support just to survive. At least once in your life – sadly, probably many times more — whether you live in a swanky loft in New York City or live with sherpas in Nepal, you will have to face a real problem. You will be tested. You will need all of your strength, fortitude, love, devotion, self belief, courage and your entire community to get through it. It will SUCK. You will survive.

But most of the time? Like ninety-nine percent of the time?

Life is delicious and amazing and everything is OK even when it is not “perfect.”

Most of the time, our “problems” are completely imaginary or blown out of proportion. We forget this. We all need the occasional snap-back-to-reality check. My organic- produce-doorstep-delivery-service-ordering self… very much included.

So you forgot to take your three-speed cruiser into the locally-run bike service shop for a spring tune up?

Get over yourself.

So you accidentally tossed a bespoke glass milk jug into the plastics recycling bin?

Honey. Laugh it off.

So you did a “naughty” thing and got a gel manicure instead of using the organic polish made from eggshells and seaweed kelp?

Ooh baby. You are soooo bad.

So you are ordering veggie stir-fry and spring rolls from the local Chinese restaurant because you ran out of time to cook an organic meal for your family?

They’re gonna live.

If you feel yourself slipping into first-world-problem-hysteria (it happens!)… try to course-correct quickly. Check yourself.

Volunteer for people who have never heard the phrase “gluten-free” before… visit a Thai fishing village filled with dirt floor homes (and incredibly happy, warm people who give generously despite having “nothing”)… watch a Discovery channel documentary… or just LAUGH it off… and get your world back into perspective.

You are OK.

You are doing great.

You are blessed beyond imagining.

You can handle anything the world throws your way.

And that organic meal you were supposed to cook tonight?

Tomorrow is another unreasonably blessed, preposterously abundant, first world day.

Susan
P.S. Sound off on Facebook.