A pub by our apartment has a great sense of humor. They’ve got a window that reads, Consulting Available For: Pig Butchering, Aeronautical Engineering, and Marriage Counseling. And here’s the front of their menu:
First of all, how about a standing ovation for a bad-ass menu that manages to blend self-deprecating humor with a message about the importance of your relationships. (If this menu were a blog I’d lose all my readers to it.)
But seriously, sometimes it’s the company you keep that makes all the difference in life.
It still shocks me to know that one of the best eras of my life coincides with the worst point in my career. And by worst, I mean crying-in-the-ladies-restroom-during-my-lunch-break worst. (Because that’s what happens when you teach at a tough urban high school but you’ve got the temperament of a Care Bear.)
But the friends I was spending every weekend with (one of whom recently died too young) kept me laughing as we led spiritual retreats together and served our community’s needs. We talked about Life’s Big Questions at 1 am on Friday nights over a local diner’s curly fries. And we had the 3 P’s: Purpose, Passion, and PG-13 fun, which is the only type of fun that’s fun enough to recall fondly ten years later, but not fun enough to regret.
My weekdays were torturous back then, but in retrospect, I felt whole. It was my co-workers and weekend friends who made all the difference between me being a miserable teacher with a miserable life vs. a miserable teacher with an amazing one.
So what’s your story? Maybe your co-workers make your day job bearable. Maybe you’re broke, but your life partner or kids bring richness to your days. Maybe your amazing friends make up for a less than amazing family.
Whatever the case may be, remember: It is better to be grateful for the things that keep you sane than it is to curse the things that make you nuts.
Your Turn: Who made a bad era in your life feel bearable?
Love this post because this is what I mainly focus on life when things start feeling like too much in certain areas (ie: money, job) I will say I am very lucky as I have a great circle of friends (and amazing in laws) who make my life very interesting and awesome. I wouldn’t trade it for the world
Also I have these really cool “neighbors” now who moved from NY and Im really digging having them around 
Hope you enjoyed your night Sunday!
There are certain stressors you can’t change much (money and career stress, like you mentioned), but we do have a lot of control over how much richness there is in our life. And I’ve discovered that you are VERY good at adding richness to yours. While you work very hard at your career (and cook, clean, and decorate seasonally…ugh!!!), you LOVE just as intensely– your generosity and affection are boundless. Sometimes I wonder how you could possibly have energy at the end of your workday to host dinner parties for your NY neighbors (hungry, broke, domestically disabled bastards!), but then I realize that your heart is the fuel for your work ethic. What a beautiful balance.