a little story

Certain events have happened recently. Because of the "bad economic times" I (& no one else at our firm) received a raise or Christmas bonus. Also, certain views in my house were expressed that I find disappointing to say the least.
I feel that I can't come right out and say what has upset me. If I do say it, I'm afraid the reaction won't be what I want. I think it's better if I apply my disappointment in a story. The story has some symbols in it and I think you'll understand the theme behind it and maybe even some of the symbols.
Also, the Blog website gave me a lot of problems tonight for whatever reason. I wasn't allowed to make paragraph breaks, so I was forced to make bullet points for the paragraphs.

• Jim was a construction worker who had a very tough job. He had a very physical job with heavy lifting. He worked in all kinds of weather. If it was 20 below 0 (fahrenheit), he was required to work. If the job was dangerous, he was required to do it. On one of these trying days, he was feeling terrible. As he rode home in a co-worker's car, he discussed his disappointment. Yet, he explained to his friend, "At least I have a nice bed to sleep in and give me comfort. On a bad day, the best friend I have is my bed. No one can give me orders. No one can hurt me or make me feel bad."
• When he got home, his mood improved. He quickly ate supper, did some reading and went to bed. When he laid in his cherished bed and put his head on the pillow, he received a very upsetting shock. His pillow that he trusted and relied on for years suddenly became hard. He couldn't believe that at a time like this, when he needed the comfort of home, he was greeted with hardness. The hardness was a shock because he expected comfort. He changed and readjusted the pillow, but the pillow could not, would not change. He used substitutes for the pillow but as he was poor he couldn't go out and buy a pillow. The substitutes he used that night were inferior, yet he finally got to sleep. (He used bunched up clothing that he put into a plastic bag.
• The next day at work was tougher than the one before. He relayed his plight of the night before to his co-worker as they drove home.
• Jim bitterly recounted, "You know home is supposed to be your castle, your refuge, the place where you find support. Yet that comfort wasn't there last night. I was confronted with hardness and little comfort. I can't survive in such a cruel world."
• Eric, his co-worker, asked, "You've complained at length about your pillow, but how were your sheets."
• Jim quizzically looked at Eric and replied, "The sheets were great, they were warm and comforting. If you're going to ask about the bed cushion that was nice and comfortable. The box spring did its job well, too!"
• Eric smiled and responded, "You have to appreciate all that went well. We can't dwell on what is wrong because there is so much in the world that IS WRONG. I guess believing in God is a pretty good idea because God doesn't change, get worse and be unreliable. Friends come and go, as do jobs. Your own kids, your own "flesh and blood" could die young. Spouses can be hard, embittered and rude; they can serve you divorce papers. Your TV can be stolen. & that pillow that you relied so much on turned hard. You still have your sheets, you still have books and magazines to enjoy."
• Jim said, "You are right. But still, I wish my pillow was soft. Everybody has a pillow they can sleep on..."
• "But that's wrong! Everyone doesn't have a pillow to sleep on. Everybody doesn't have kids to come home to, spouses that give them comfort or even food on the table. Hell, we could be living in Africa, we didn't choose where we would be born or whether our family was starving or had full stomachs," Eric asserted.
• Jim realized that he would go home and enjoy his magazine a little more. The stroganoff meal he made for himself would taste better. He would value all this so much more, because he realized he would either have to put up with a hard pillow or make due with a substitute.