The Brighton Marathon took place yesterday while I was at work and honestly it was by far one of the worst shifts I've ever done. Crowds were just streaming into the restaurant non stop and at one point I just felt terribly claustrophobic and agoraphobic all at once. It was finally beautiful and warm outside but inside the stuffy and crowded premise we just started getting terribly exhausted and snappy from the heat. Tension was flying everywhere: in the kitchen, amongst us waitresses, between us and the customers...
I don't know how the other girls managed to last until closing time but having woken up at 6.30am to get to work by 9 due to suspended bus services and road closures, I couldn't be happier to get out of there at 7pm. Blame the marathon, I thought. For all this chaos.
Then today the Boston Marathon made unfortunate headlines with three blasts that killed two people and injured countless of runners at the finish line. Runners who took part to raise funds for charity, and spectators who were out there to support them. Suddenly all my frustration from yesterday shrank into the smallest, pettiest thing in the world. Chaos? Amidst the sea of people that made me want to pull all my hair out, I was at least safe amongst enthusiasts who were just out there to enjoy the day. The 10,000 runners made it to the finish line with nothing more than just bad cramps as the worst case scenario.
It's sad that by human nature we don't realise the magnitude of life's luxuries until we lose it.
It's also sad that sometimes we only see things in perspective out of other people's expense.
This will be a reminder for me to count my blessings and push aside the smaller issues in life.
My heart goes out to those affected by the Boston marathon.
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