A while ago I wrote about the taxman zeroing in on me, placing horrendous pressure on my family. It almost came to power of sale on our home. After some professional help, my wife and I were able to get back in the game and we'll be OK. We're richer than we thought. 

At the same time, my friends, husband and wife, up the street are suffering from stage four cancer. So, I'm  the lucky one. They are just good down to earth people who just started retirement and this shit happens.

Then, I hear a friend and recently retired business associate who moved to Panama, disappeared under suspicious circumstances. Yesterday, his body was found stuffed in a suitcase in a park in Panama. Why? No one knows. 

I don't know what to make of this shit! I've read stories about people who never complained about the most extraordinary circumstances or took on pain without mentioning it. Is this what it means to be a man? I'll still empathize with a child's tears, but the trivial complaints of an adult with regards to traffic, the weather or long line ups will just evoke a bitterness in me.