One can find jerks everywhere. I've had a jerk dentist (who slapped me when I was a little girl and crying in the chair having a tooth pulled).

I had a terrible nurse when I delivered my son, who I had to report to her
supervisor (she kept grabbing my arm --which had phebitis from an irritating IV--which hurt more than my C-section incision).. I asked her to please don't do that--3 times. After being forced on that third time, I told her to get out and never come back. And she was indeed gone!

I have had jerks for doctors.

I've had jerks for neighbors.
I know jerk pharmacists as well. And they never change, as well.

Our society is devolving in many respects. Just this week are the Forbes report about CEOs who make 40-100 million a year running their companies into the ground. If that isn't a JERK what IS?

I sort of think of life that can be like swimming. The water does not swim for you. YOU have to navigate IT. There might be a rip current that catches you, or a big wave, and then you have to cope or lose. But swimming can be pleasurable too. How we reframe experiences helps our brains to cope. I truly think we can help ourselves for most things.

When it comes to anxiety--- and I live with this too, with NO drugs, it is the left over result of my abusive childhood-- the most successful coping I have learned is to ACT rather than REACT and lose control.
For example yesterday was BAD for me. This city project is driving everyone here nuts. Will I have water today? Where will I put my car? Will this pounding and shaking of the house, break something that will lead us to bigger problems? The dirt/dust is making everyone sneeze including pets.
Yesterday, it was really bad... REALLY...and I started pacing around and just getting away from myself at 9am no less. So after a 1/2 hr of this, I decided to take my camera and go down there and take some pictures. I ended up talking to some of the guys, and watching, and then walking around and taking
pictures of the neighbors, etc. I went down there 3 times watching them screw around looking for our old main. The worry was if our connection and the neighbor's which is 4 ft away are NOT copper...then they are digging up our whole front yard, which I have gardens on. I did not want this, of course, and I suspected we were copper because it was repaired 5 yrs ago. But the anxiety was considerable! I knew they were digging in the wrong spot..but they wouldn't listen to me. In the end they found the pipes and they were where I told them. (never listen to a woman, I guess). Interacting with them actually helped me in the end...when all I wanted to do was hide in the house!

here is a picture of it at one point:
The garden in front is the one at risk. With me being so impaired now, I can't face repairing it if it were dug up! Where the men are working is where we park our cars, since we don't have a garage, and live on the hill! The cars have been a big problem since these huge machines fill the whole road!
Everything has been a nightmare.
Next will be putting in the new curbs, and repaving which will be perhaps in a month. That means a whole month of car/parking problems.

We had to remove about 20% of the plants and rocks and part of my steps as it was...my son came in to help us, a weekend ago.
And he offered to help us fix the stairs, and put in the new blocks that we use along the curb to get into our cars.
It is lovely on the hill, and people ooooh and ahhhh but it is very difficult. And now with my physical challenges very hard on me.
I would like to move, but hubby won't. It is a family home for 4 generations. sigh.

I am standing on the sidewalk taking this picture looking down. The hill behind me is 20 more steps UP to the front door.