Life Isn’t Fair
Mar 20th, 2008 by lisa
I’m sure you’ve heard this before. The truth is, that life is full of challenges. Some are harder than others, and they can come one right after another. The challenges themselves are not what matter. What matters is how you handle them.
Recently I’ve been confronted with, what is for me, an extremely trying situation. As I’ve mentioned before I’m extremely sensitive to my surroundings. I’m easily overwhelmed by noise and chaos. If it’s bad enough, I can become physically ill. (Folks who aren’t ‘wired’ this way can’t understand this, and that’s okay. If you think it’s crap, that’s fine. But it’s reality for me, and lots of other folk who are like me).
Now our apartment building, the barrier between floor and ceiling is paper-thin. You can hear conversations in the apartment above and below you if it’s quiet enough. This weekend a new tenant moved in upstairs. She is a young woman with three small children. They are very active little ones, and they can become quite active for hours at a time. There have been times in the past three days that the walls and ceiling of my home have shaken and creaked as if we were having a small earthquake. I can hear the dishes rattling in my kitchen cupboards. Because of my sensitivity, I have been extremely stressed by this. As a matter of fact, I have missed my evening meal for the past two nights because my stomach is in such a state, I can’t eat.
It’s not really their fault. They are little ones, and they are playing. The weather has been dreadful and they can’t go outside to play. I understand all that, but it doesn’t help my situation. It’s what it is, and I have to deal with it until we finish saving enough money to move out of here. As it stands now, that will be the end of July.
Life isn’t fair, and sometimes you just have to cope. This weekend we’re going to find me a nice set of noise-canceling headphones that I can wear around the house, and when I’m reading, meditating or napping. It’s not in the budget, but it’s something I desperately need right now if I’m going to continue living in this apartment till August. I’ve been wearing earplugs, but they are irritating after a while. At least while I’m sitting at the computer, I can listen to cd’s. The upside is I’m becoming reacquainted with a lot of music I haven’t listened to in ages. Also, not having dinner for the last two days is helping me to lose weight. Ha.
Really it’s just a matter of handling a new challenge. The goal is to get through the next four months without losing my sanity. I’m pretty sure I can do it. I simply have to take it one day at a time. And wear headphones.
Oh dear I do sympathise, and no, I don’t think it’s crap. I’ll be thinking of you with your snazzy and absolutely necessary headphones. I’m thinking about moving at the moment, and part of what puts me off is that where I am now is quiet, with reasonable neighbours.
Thanks Tess! It’s good to know you among those who understand.
I hope you are able to find somewhere nice to live. Moving is difficult, I’ve done it way too many times. I hope to find a place soon where I can stay awhile.
You have my sympathy—I’ve spent many years living in places that were noisy and hard to deal with. In fact, that was the main reason I hated apartment living: other people’s noise. I hope the headphones help you make it until August!
Thanks Anita. The headphones are helping some. I think I’ll make it with my sanity intact.
Situations like this always make me think of that quote from Sartre, ‘Hell is other people’. It can seem like that sometimes.