Inconveniences Are Annoying, but They Aren’t the End of the World
It’s normal to come across inconveniences in daily life.
Imagine being in the following scenarios:
You’re filling out an important document with a pen when it runs out of ink midsentence.
It’s a typical morning and you’re on your regular train to work when it breaks down out of the blue, forcing you to walk.
You get an e-mail announcement that a highly awaited product is now on sale — you just need to click the link and fill out an official-looking form with your personal details. You excitedly follow the instructions, only to realize as you click “submit” that the page is a well-made fake!
If the mere thought of being in these situations made you cringe, that’s normal. Nobody likes being inconvenienced. People have always worked hard to avoid troublesome situations.
Yet inconveniences are, in fact, the mother of innovation. When entrepreneurs try to come up with a viable product or business, the first question they ask is, “What’s a problem people have that I can solve?”
As human life evolves and becomes evermore complicated, it seems like a new problem is always around the corner. And with social media at our fingertips, it’s so easy to air our complaints about glitches in the program of life (let’s call it Life.exe), whether for emotional catharsis or to search for solutions.
But there is one detail people tend to miss: Not everyone is built to run Life.exe equally. Most people are running it on robust, up-to-date systems, while others are stuck with less-than-ideal parts that can’t be replaced. For them, Life.exe is just naturally glitchy. Such is the case for people with disabilities and chronic, incurable illnesses.
My husband, Jared, who has a severe hemophilia B and a seizure disorder, often struggles to see inconveniences the same way his nondisabled peers do. While he does experience minor troubles on an everyday basis (which can be annoying), in the big picture, these are dwarfed by his daily challenges as a person with disability. Because I struggle with mental health conditions, I relate to this sentiment as well.
Our world is still built and arranged to serve the needs of able-bodied people. Many workplaces still favor those who are not physically or mentally ill — though, ironically, people with disabilities may particularly benefit from extra income. (We need the money for the medicine, checkups, and assistive equipment, after all!) While some localities have made adjustments to address the needs of the disabled population, not all communities can afford to do so just yet.
Then there is the unthinkable pain my husband experiences during a debilitating bleed. The struggle of finding a vein so he can infuse factor (especially on the days his veins randomly decide to hide). The isolation he feels while resting an injury alone at home, unable to do the things he loves.
It may not seem so at the time, but we’re lucky when the only challenges we experience on a given day are small, fleeting inconveniences that don’t affect our quality of life. Inconveniences can be annoying, but they pass, and they can be overcome. Sometimes, it just takes a bit of perspective.
Jared and I hope that by sharing our struggles, we can somehow help others realize that even in an imperfect life, there are things to be grateful for.
I recently got a tattoo of an imperfect circle with two intertwined flowers in the center, representing me and my daughter. It helps me cope with minor discomforts and focus on what’s most important. I look at it whenever I feel bothered by inconveniences, and I can say that it helps!
Note: Hemophilia News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Hemophilia News Today or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to hemophilia.
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