A seven year itch

Does the person with the worst crisis win?

I understand I have a choice with how I react to harsh criticism and being a frequent contributor of letters of public interest, I’ve developed some thick skin. Every seven years though that skin gets a bad itch, which compels me to scratch it with a formal response.

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Most recently, I shared some observations of how a day of overwhelming events culminated in enough angst that I sought out a (800) 273-TALK (8255) crisis line. My hope was that by sharing this personal experience that others would follow suit in their own times of dire need, because those emergency dispatchers were so kind and understanding with me. 

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Yet some readers said they couldn’t emphasize with me and tried to belittle me for my inconsequential stuck elevator story. I first wondered if they hadn’t read it thoroughly, because I referred to my event with a fitting disclaimer as an ‘oxymoronic minor emergency.’ Minor emergencies of course are those that happen to the other guy. Then I wondered if perhaps their cynical viewpoint was part of a societal failure, because after all even EckhartTolle says, “About 80 to 90 percent of most people’s thinking is not only repetitive and useless, but because of its dysfunctional and often negative nature, much of it is also harmful. Observe your mind and you will find this to be true.”
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Perhaps if I share more of what led up to my panic, understanding trolls will hand out a mulligan: That summer, I lost three close friends, with another in the hospital for a month. Someone who owed me $1,000 left town. My work truck broke down 3 times with expensive repairs. I experienced a mini-stroke (another minor emergency?) and couldn’t afford treatment. And then a neighbor’s unsettled dog attacked me, busting my eyeglasses - all of which I carried into the elevator that hot day.