First World Problems

In third-world countries, people worry about things like food, clean water, and shelter. In a first-world country like the U.S., we worry about how soft our toilet paper is, and internet connection speeds. The numbers say that if you live in the U.S. and make twenty thousand a year you are living in poverty here, but better off than 99% of the rest of the world. So those of us in the middle class have gripes that are less-pressing than almost everybody else on the planet.

I am grateful to be here.

Howsoever, my hot tub, which has become a necessity for my body and soul, started whining. I shut it down and called my repair guy. I figured this would be his slack season, what with actual summer being here, but no, it turns out they also do swimming pools, and so business is booming and I had to wait a couple days.

Poor me ...

Turned out a seal had leaked, water ran down into the motor shaft, and a bearing was about to burn up. So the motor had to be replaced or rebuilt, and it cost about a car payment ...

Seems to be something needs to be fixed every other year, but that's part of the operating cost.

I am blessed that I had the money to get it done, and don't I know it ...