Although I have experienced some significant problems in my life in recent years, I received a stark reminder during my recent stay at the Hampton Inn & Suites Jacksonville-Beach Boulevard/Mayo Clinic Area hotel property of how other people have worse problems.
A Stark Reminder of How Other People Have Worse Problems.
A woman stepped into the elevator and asked to which floor we were going. She pressed the button in the elevator and asked how we were doing.
After we said we were fine and asked how she was doing, she revealed to us that she had already stayed 22 nights at the hotel property because her husband had bladder cancer and has only one kidney. “He coded four times,” she said. “We were so close.”
The cancer is thankfully gone; but he has experienced a plethora of other issues that has kept him in the hospital for greater than three weeks — and no end is in sight.
The woman revealed about what she had been experiencing in great detail. She was visibly exhausted; but she managed to keep a weak smile on her face. “Thank you for letting me tell my story and listening,” she said.
I wished her all the best. When we left the elevator, she realized that she forgot to press the button for the floor to her room.
Final Boarding Call
Sometimes we need to be reminded that no matter how bad things may be with us, someone else somewhere is experiencing something significantly worse. I cannot even imagine what she is going through — but I hope that her husband recovers completely as soon as possible so that they can go home.
Randy Petersen is one of the most thankful people I know. Read about his story here.
Photograph ©2024 by Brian Cohen.
