Spam and gratitude

This morning, as I waited in line at CVS to buy some aspirin (a cold is really kicking my butt right now), I see the fellow ahead of me purchasing: a can of Spam, and two five-dollar lottery tickets. I don't think I've actually seen anyone buying Spam before. Wow! I didn't see if he had winning tickets or not, if you're wondering. Someone desperate enough to consume Spam probably needs all the luck he can get.

When I got to work, I was greeted by one of those forwarded lists in my in-box. (don't we all have at least one of 'those' friends?) Don't get me wrong -- I'm not opposed to the occasional thought-provoking forwarded e-mail. But, aren't some of them just plain dumb? Anyway, I felt this one was worth attaching here, not because it's especially witty, but because it made me feel grateful. I mean, if THESE are our biggest problems of the day -- and most days, they are -- we are some seriously blessed people. (though, it DOES make my blood boil when a few of these things happen...) Just read this and remember all the people who can't really afford to eat chocolate, or buy groceries, or drive a car, or have a job, or go shopping, or use a washing machine ... Hm. Maybe we're TOO privileged, come to think of it.
I'm tempted to come up with my own list of things that legitimately drive me crazy, but it might be a wee bit controversial. (you know -- people thinking the right president will suddenly make the world a utopia; people getting tied up in knots over office politics instead of just doing the jobs they're paid to do; that sort of thing.) And, I'm trying to be less negative. It's an uphill battle.

Things That Drive You Crazy
* There are always one or two ice cubes that won't pop out of the tray.
* You wash a garment with a tissue in the pocket and your entire laundry
comes out covered with lint.
* The car behind you blasts its horn because you let a pedestrian
finish crossing.
* A piece of foil candy wrapper makes electrical contact with your
filling.
* You set the alarm on your digital clock for 7pm instead of 7am.
* The radio station doesn't tell you who sang that song.
* You rub on hand cream and can't turn the bathroom doorknob to
open it.
* People behind you on a supermarket line dash ahead of you to a
counter just opening up.
* You can't look up the correct spelling of a word in the dictionary
because you don't know how to spell it.
* You have to inform five different sales people in the same store
that you're just browsing.
* You had that pen in your hand only a second ago and now you can't
find it.
* You reach under the table to pick something off the floor and
smash your head on the way up.
* Getting gas next to 12 people, just as the elevator doors close,
while going to the 39th floor.
* Locking your keys in your car, looking through the window and
realizing the spare is in the wallet right next to it.
* When someone brakes at a yellow light right in front of you just
as your speeding up.
* You get 20 calls from telemarketers and on the 21st call you just
let them have a piece of your mind and its your mother.
* When your mother calls during sex and you pick up the phone out
of habit.
* Being in a traffic jam when the opposite direction is going 75 miles
an hour.
* Your girlfriend wants to discuss your relationship during the Superbowl,
in the last minute of the 4th quarter, when the game is tied.