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When Bad is Good

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I think about her a lot.

Especially on the days I am forced to function on less than four hours of sleep.

She’s the single mom of three children, who takes two buses and one train to a job that pays her six bucks an hour; a job in which she cleans other people’s homes while hers sits in utter disarray.

When she’s done sanitizing someone else’s space, she gets back on the train and heads to another job; this one serving strangers hamburgers, fries and compliments hoping that her smile and attentiveness will score her a fat tip to supplement her skinny paycheck.

While customers carelessly shovel food into their mouths, she wonders if her own children were able to find enough to eat at home. The same home she returns to in the dead of night, long after her kids have gone to bed. It’s been 16 hours since she’s seen them and just 6 until she has to get up and do it all over again.

She and I met through Oprah.

I was running on a treadmill mulling over all the reasons I had to be an unhappy mom.

Then, I saw her life unfold on TV and I started counting my blessings.

Funny how that works.

Perspective; it’s a game of inches, and if you are lucky, humility is just beyond the finish line.

I don’t remember the woman’s name, but I will never forget her story.

I think Oprah ended up giving her a new house or something. Not that it mattered to me. Watching that mom’s story was a sobering experience, and Oprah’s generous gift certainly didn’t dilute the main message: “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”

That’s from Plato, not Oprah.

Neither are mothers, though I know many parents can appreciate the sentiment behind the quote.

When you’ve fallen into an abyss of despair it’s hard to see that your bad day… or week… or monthor life is actually very, very good when compared to another mom’s 24-hour shift.

Remember: There is always someone out there whose load is heavier than yours.

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About Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism. She spent the next ten years as a television anchor and reporter at various stations throughout the country (from the CBS affiliate in Honolulu to the NBC affiliate in Green Bay). She has won numerous honors including an Emmy Award and multiple Edward R. Murrow awards honoring outstanding achievements in broadcast journalism. In addition, she has received awards from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association for her reports on air travel and the Wisconsin Education Association Council for her stories on education. Michele has since left television to concentrate on being a mom and freelance writer.