Good for one. Tragic for another.

When I’m happy, it’s often because someone else is sad. I benefit by others’ misfortune. That’s the way of life. For instance, yesterday my Chicago Cubs rallied for two runs late in the game and defeated the Washington Nationals, 2-1. That made me happy. Put me in a good mood for the rest of the day. Savoring the nice turn of events. But if the Cubs had lost, I wouldn’t have done any savoring. I’d not be as happy. Meanwhile, ardent and avid fans of the Washington Nationals may have been annoyed and unhappy over the loss of their favorite team. Blowing a late lead. Especially, to the lowly Cubs. Furthermore, the Cubs won two of three games in Washington over the weekend. Besting Washington’s best two pitchers. Yes, I know baseball games are relatively trivial events in the grand scheme of life. No reason to lament the loss of a game. But baseball fans do. However, there are life and death situations that effect one’s life. In good ways. In bad ways. Depends. I frequently cite one of ‘em. In my life. My maternal grandparents died young. In their 20s and 30s. Leaving my mother an orphan. And her parents’ early deaths prompted her into a marriage of convenience. With a man she really didn’t love. But if that had not occurred, I’d never have been born. Therefore, I benefited from the timing of my grandparents deaths. That’s one way of looking at life’s turn of events.   Good for one. Tragic for another. –Jim Broede