A section of the book Everything is Illuminated got me thinking:
In the book, a Rabbi is giving a (misinformed) sermon on heaven and hell- "IT WAS ON THE SECOND DAY THAT THE LORD OUR GOD CREATED THE OPOPSING REGIONS OF HEAVEN AND HELL...THE THIRD AND NEXT DAY, WHEN GOD SAW THAT HEAVEN WAS NOT AS MUCH LIKE HEAVEN AS HE PRAYED, AND HELL NOT AS MUCH LIKE HELL. AND SO, HE RAISED THE SHADE BETWEEN THE OPPOSING REGIONS, ALLOWING THE BLESSED AND THE CONDEMNED TO SEE ONE ANOTHER. AND AS WAS HIS HOPE, THE BLESSED REJOICED IN THE PAIN OF THE CONDEMNED, AND THEIR JOY BECAME THAT MUCH GREATER IN THE FACE OF SORROW. AND THE CONDEMNED SAW THE BLESSEDD, SAW THEIR LOBSTER TAILS AND PROSCIUTTO AND FELT THAT MUCH WORSE FOR THEMSELVES."

Although I believe this to be terrible theology, it is instructive nonetheless. It is easy for me, sitting in my freezing kitchen eating cabbage night after night, to log onto facebook and see the pictures of the lives of my friends all over the world, and think their lives are heaven compared to mine, and feel "THAT MUCH WORSE FOR" myself.

However, all circumstances are relative. I have become more aware lately of issues my friends in tropical and trendy places like New Zealand and San Francisco and the Nort Shore are struggling terribly, despite the ready availability of nachos mangos and Chaco wearing days. It is not sunshine or even friends that make things great, and it is not always sub zero temperatures and too many root vegetables thatmake days interminably long. Sometimes it is simply CHOOSING whether you are going to consider your life heaven or hell. I'm not saying depression can be simply decided away, I KNOW it can't. I'm saying that too often I assume that exotic and oppurtunity filled places, especially when observed through the narrow facebook telescope can be tempting. And right now, it is my CHOICE to love my life here until its over, and then love life back home.