The Person you call whose Life Sucks more than Yours

Sometimes when I know I'm feeling melancholy and blue about nothing that should matter, when I have trouble counting my blessings, I call someone I can count on to have a suckier life than mine. Kind of like a Suck-It-Up Slap in the Face.

Sadly that person? Is often my Brother. Now on the Life Sucks Scale-o-meter, his life isn't horribly terrible. He has a very loving wife. He has a lazy adorable 18 YO Son. He has a ginormous nosey loving extended family. He has a job. But all those things? They're just slightly off-kilter. The Son, who is adorable and brilliant and loving, lives with his conniving, manipulative, self-centered Mother, a woman who does not value truth or hard work or responsibility. Therefore, my brilliant nephew may or may not graduate high school next week. Why? He hasn't turned in his homework assignments. Is he allowed to play lacrosse and spend weekends with his girlfriend while carrying a 24% (yes I said 24%) in a class he could pass 1/2 asleep? Yep. And does his Mother lie to his father about this stuff? Yep. (My brother lives, sadly, 3000 miles away - another lie told that moved the Son away).

His job? A tough one in a tough economy- SALES. People routinely blow him off, he drives for days to make sales, he comes home tired and exhausted and doesn't get stuff done around the house. And he faces constant quota pressure among other things. His salary has taken a hit I believe - meanwhile his Ex-Wife is raking in more child support than ever because of some crazy Texas law and it really aggravates him. Not that he won't support his Son - somehow despite the thousands of dollars sent every month, the Boy shows up for the summer with no clothes that fit so they immediately have to go shopping. It's complicated and trust me, it stinks to be my Brother on this one.

And so today when I was feeling blah - been boo-hooing about the end of the school year and the kids getting older instead of looking forward to our trip to Spain. Boo-hooing about all the crap in my house that I need to de-clutter and think about moving next year instead of being thankful I have more than I need. Boo-hooing about potentially leaving a job I love to go off to some southern land instead of thanking God I have a great job I love. Yeah I called Brother. And in 5 minutes? Was thankful again to be me.

**edited to add: I do NOT just call him for these reasons - I totally adore my brother and think he has amazing qualities - for example he's a kick-butt musician and composer and there are many times I wish I could be him. But sometimes, like today, I'm glad I'm NOT!