Do you ever wonder why people’s lives are so different?

Oh I heard that remark too Sara65
My Father died when I was 11 and I was an only child.
My mother thought I should stay with her all my life, it was my duty.
She was very jealous of our success and would put me down in front of people to embarrass me.
Not a happy relationship I can tell you.

annesixty

Same, my mother is still alive, we haven’t spoken for 20 years, I couldn’t bear anymore of her

My hubbie and his brother went to the same school, both of them married local girls. His brother went on to Uni and successful and highly paid career.
Hubbie decided not to go to Uni, (he was he eldest and their Dad died when he was 16), took an apprenticeship, but left after a year. After we were married, he took exams, via evening classes, and qualified as a chartered Secretary. Then the blow struck = he developed MS.
We had five small children, but back then he found it extremely difficult to get any organisation to give a job to someone in a wheelchair.
For years we managed on benefits, whilst his brother went on to become a very high earner.
When our children complained about the things they could not have (holidays abroad, designer clothes, etc.) we always told them to Look Down, not UP.
In world terms, they were still much closer to the top of the pile than the bottom. If they compared their lives to those of refugee children, or those living on the streets in different countries, dying from completely curable diseases, perpetually hungry, cold, abused - then our children - were very much the lucky ones.
Eventually, our marriage fell apart under the strain (adversity does not always drawn people together). but - amazingly, all five of the children went on to Uni (days prior to fees needing to be paid - not sure if they would have in those circumstances), all came out and have good professional careers - in different service/caring professions. All are lovely, caring people.
Do need to realise that for most of us in this country we are so fortunate, and even when we are part of the 'have-nots' we have so much more than much of the population of the world today.
We do not have to leave our homes (however pathetic they may be) as we are being shot at, or in danger of being bombed to smithereens, we do not have to traipse thousands of miles to try to find safety, and risk everything in unsuitable dinghies to cross seas, etc.
Yes, some people have more fortunate lives than others, but we all at times need to LOOK DOWN instead of UP to appreciate how lucky we have been to be born when and where we have, and that is totally just the luck of the draw.

Three things can decide your future ..... to whom you are born, the person you marry and how hard you work!

Good health is also important and some people are dealt a better hand in that. But others do not look after their health and don’t help themselves.

For me, happiness is about making the most of what so gave ..... but if things need to be tweaked, have the strength to do it.

Most of us who are or have been in, what used to be called. white collared jobs have parents, grandparents or great grandparents who had jobs where no one wore collars because they couldn't afford them.

There has always been ways up for those who have the get up and go to get up and go, despite barriers of race or religion, or anything else and for many of us we are benefitting from the easier lives our ancestors struggled for.

The only people for whom the task has often been insurmountable are those with health conditions that limit their ability to work.

Nowadays it is so much easier to work and study and gain qualifications at the same time. DD has just completed an OU degree that she started as the result of an accident that left her with a minor disability and in her 40s has moved herself from a career with limited prospects to one with better pay and which offers more opportunity for advancement..