First World Problems

Right at the moment there are two tile workers in my bathroom here to fix my new walk-in shower which was improperly installed when it was originally put in place.  The tile on the floor was all at the wrong pitch.  Or actually, at no pitch.  So water built up on it by the end of a shower and had to be squeegeed off.  So they are resetting the tile at a slight angle, thereby directing water flow down the drain.

The fellow who originally laid the tile was a new member of the crew, and very young and inexperienced.  The owner of the company is doing this reset himself.  He wants to make sure he ends up with a happy customer.  He gave me no hassle when I first called and told him of the problem.  And it is being done at no cost to my wife and me.  That is except for the inconvenience of not having a functioning shower for a few days.  But we'll manage! 

Our improperly laid tile shower floor is what some folks would call a first-world problem.  And so it is.  I can't help but think of the folks in Gaza and to a lesser extent in Israel, who are faced with far more serious rebuilding issues.  Many if not most of them don't have the resources needed to undertake such projects.  Nor are they covered by a warranty.  I suspect they aren't even covered under whatever insurance policies they may or may not have.  Acts of war rarely are!
  

As a white, middle class, male American I am very prone to forgetting just how fortunate I am.  I am prone to forget that I didn't do anything to earn that good fortune.  I didn't choose to be male, or American, or white--arguably I didn't even choose to be middle class.  But I am all of those things.  And as a result I am privileged.  I would be wise to remember that next time I am tempted to complain about my shower floor.  At least I still have a roof over my head--that and a whole lot more!