It Could Have Been Worse

My mother's favorite expression was--

'It could have been worse'

I'd come home from a bad day at school
Or break my arm playing outside
Total my first car

And she'd say--

'Well, you know, it could have been worse'

Every New Year's Eve
My father, who, like me
Tended to see the darker side of things
Would sit in the living room
With the lights off
A drink in his hand
And she'd give him some time
Then say--

'What's wrong'

And he'd list everything
That he hadn't done that year
Or that he'd screwed up
Or hadn't done as well as he could have
And she'd say--

'Be grateful.  It could have been worse'

Then she'd sit down next to him
And the ball would drop on the t.v.
And they'd exchange a nice little kiss

My mother kept my father afloat
For a very long time
Until he sunk too far down
For even her to reach

When I got older
I adopted my father's attitude
Towards New Year's Eve
Along with some of his other...issues

And one night
After a particularly bad year
I went to my mother's house
And sat in the same chair my Dad did
Right up until he passed away
At the kitchen table
In the next room
From...

Well, you don't care
What it was from

Anyway, I told my Mom how much I hated New Year's Eve
Because it forces you to reflect
And I'd rather just keep pushing on
Until there isn't anything left
To push towards

And she said
This woman who'd put up
With more than her fair share
Of bullshit over the years
She said--

'You could have lost more.  You could have done less.  It could have rained when it was sunny.  You could have been sick when you were healthy.  There could have been less laughter and more crying.  We're all luckier than we like to think about, because we think if we think about it, our luck will run out.  But we should think about it more.  And we should think about how nice it is that every year we get a shot at giving it another chance.  There's nothing more valuable in the world then another chance.  So buck up.  Maybe it wasn't the best year, but in twenty years you'll look back on this one, and you'll still wish you could go back to it and do it again, if only because there was something about it you'd want to relive.  A day.  A week.  A nice time.  Lunch with a friend you don't talk to anymore.  Maybe a New Year's Eve with the man you loved.  You'll miss something about it.  It could have been worse.'

I didn't say anything
I just took my Mom's hand
And we watched the ball drop
And as it did
I saw her eyes tear up a little bit
And then she nodded her head
As if to say--

Onto the next