The 2017 Shari Prestemon Social Justice Interns have graciously agreed to share their experiences with all of us. From time to time, we’ll be posting ‘journal entries’ from Naiomi Gonzalez and Katy Morton. Below is one of these entries.
First World Problems.
A few years ago or so, a very popular meme/hashtag combo was circulating around Facebook and other social media outlets. It was generally comprised of a photo of a young man or woman with head in hands, sometimes even tears, and an accompanying caption containing a phrase such as “forgot I was watching a recording, sat through commercials” or “my laptop is dying, but the charger is in the other room,” followed by the phrase, “first world problems.” Though it may seem like a silly concept, the idea behind it is to point out just how trivial many of the day-to-day “little things” we all complain about really are. And, to remind us that the things we often think are a big deal are nothing compared to some of the situations and concerns that people living in poverty experience every single day. This week, I definitely had a “first-world problem” moment. Unfortunately, my first reaction was to get frustrated, upset, and to over-react, but with some help from some friends, and some time to reflect, I realized just how silly I was being and how lucky I am in so many ways.
Towards the end of last week, my air conditioning in my car ceased to work, and began blowing hot air into both of our faces anytime we drove it anywhere. Although broken AC would normally not seem like such a big deal to me, it is smack-dab in the middle of summer here in hot and humid Mississippi. Sometimes, even just walking outside can make one feel like they are melting. After a long day of phone calls back and forth, and two different mechanic opinions, I was fortunate enough to be put in touch with a reliable shop. Thanks to the amazing Laura, I was able to get my condenser replaced and the AC fixed in my car for less than $400! It seems that the road construction here in Biloxi, and a loose chunk of road were to blame. As annoying as the whole ordeal was with my AC, it made me realize a few things, and at the end of the day, I realized just how fortunate I am.
As I sat in the Micah Day Center this week, entering service data in HMIS and fielding questions from our homeless clients and families, I began to think about my AC and put things into perspective. Granted, I was extremely upset at the time, hearing that I had to spend hundreds of dollars to fix something just because I drove on a certain road. But, as I continued thinking about it, I realized that with a quick couple of phone calls, and some help from an awesome coworker, my problem was fixed in just a few days. I was initially worried about the $400, as I had only budgeted $200 for possible car troubles this summer, but after explaining the situation to my mom, she generously offered to let me use the emergency credit card and pay her and my dad back in increments, thus alleviating some of the monetary stress on my summer auto budget. I thought back to our time in financial class with Everett, and our Bridges class with Loretta, and realized that so many people in poverty don’t have the luxury of a supportive family who is willing and able to assist them financially when emergencies pop up. I wondered to myself, what would they do in this situation? How would they cope with this heat? What if they have children or elderly family members? At the same time, I realized that my annoyance with the road construction here has only been for a couple of months, while the people who live and work in Biloxi have been coping with it for years. Some of Back Bay’s clients have experienced health issues from the road dust and dirt, as well as their own car troubles and personal struggles caused by the construction. Additionally, that heat I mentioned earlier, you know the kind that can make you feel like your melting as soon as you step outside, I only had to deal with it for a couple of days before my AC was fixed. I realized that so many of the Mission’s clients don’t even gave the luxury of a car, and are forced to walk everywhere in the heat and humidity. Thankfully, the Micah Day Center provides a place for those individuals to escape the heat for the day, but any time they need to get anywhere, most of them have to walk, and with most of their belongings strapped to their back, to boot.
Once again, I felt the pangs of guilt well up in my stomach. I had gotten frustrated and upset, only able to see the annoyances and frustrations of my situation, while forgetting just how lucky I truly am. My support system was right there for me when I needed them, and I was fortunate enough to get my car fixed and back to running fine in just a few days. I’m still human, so I find myself getting frustrated, overwhelmed, and stressed, sometimes about things that seem trivial in retrospect. But, as I spend more time working with the clients at Back Bay, and learning about poverty, I am beginning to stop and think far more often before I get flustered and start to “sweat the small stuff.”
