Don't be a 'gripe monster'.
- Life's Little Goodies -
From 'Almost a Newsletter'
http://www.boogiejack.com/

I Can't Complain

I was mowing the yard along the property line where
the woods
meet the lawn when a branch caught on my hat. When I
looked up
so I could release the branch, it released itself. As
the branch
sprung back in place, one of the twigs hit me right in
the eyeball.

It scratched my cornea and tore the conjunctiva, which
is the
membrane that covers the nerves. Needless to say, that
hurt a lot!
It kept getting worse as late afternoon turned into
evening, and I
ended up going to the emergency room for treatment.
Without
going into details, I couldn't open either eye for 2
days, and couldn't
see well enough to read for a several more days.

That gave me a lot of time to lie around thinking. One
thing I
thought of was igglespatzen frookle doop, but since
those are just
silly made-up words, I'll tell you something else I
thought about. :o)

Our first instinct when we're hurt is to let others
know...misery loves
company as they say. But then I thought, no one else
would really
want to hear about my ailment, so I didn't tell anyone
that didn't
have a need to know.

It's no real revelation that people avoid chronic
complainers. We've
all known someone that, each time we see them we have
to listen
to their woes. Sometimes they're just lonely, or are
simply seeking
attention, and I suppose there are many other reasons
they feel
compelled to complain, but the fact is, if you hear
enough of it, it
does get old. We sometimes tend to avoid these kind of
people
rather than indulge them once again.

The point is, that before we complain to others, we
should stop to
think if it's really worth complaining about. What's
our purpose in
complaining? What good does it serve?

In today's world, victimization seems to be in vogue.
Society is
becoming a screeching cacophony of whiners and
malcontents
seeking easy money, escape from responsibilities,
instant
answers, and those who want given to them that which
they're
unwilling to work for or otherwise earn.

But not you. You're better than that or you wouldn't
still be reading
this article. To be sure, we have the instinct to tell
others about our
ailments, just as I was first tempted to do with my
eye. We don't
have to indulge that instinct though. I'm just
reminding you to keep
being a positive light in the world, rather than just
another gripe
monster draining other people's emotions.

Of course, there are times we do need to "share" our
woes, but we
needn't be a burden with everything that comes along.
People
naturally like you better if you don't darken their
day.

When we realize the world isn't going to go out of its
way to please
us, we begin to understand that we are the reason
things get
better...or worse. Will we be a blessing or a curse?

If we complain too much, are negative excessively, or
we're using
our ailments to manipulate others for their sympathy
or some other
gain, then we're more a part of the problem than the
solution.

However, if we make an effort to be a blessing to
others rather than
using them for a complaint dump, then we are indeed
creating a
better world. And that's how this planet will evolve
into a better
place - one person at a time, one day at a time.

You know that, I just thought I'd remind you. We all
need a
reminder now and then. And a little pat on the back
doesn't hurt
either, so thanks for being one of the good guys, Bob.

?????????????

If you don't like something, change it. If you can't
change it, change
your attitude. Don't complain.
~ Maya Angelou

My days of whining and complaining about others have
come to an
end. Nothing is easier than fault finding. All it will
do is discolor my
personality so that none will want to associate with
me. That was
my old life. No more.
~ Og Mandino

The only disability in life is a bad attitude.
~ Scott Hamilton

Challenges come so we can grow and be prepared for
things we are
not equipped to handle now. When we face our
challenges with
faith, prepared to learn, willing to make changes, and
if necessary,
to let go, we are demanding our power be turned on.
~ Iyanla Vanzant

The difference between a good day and a bad day on
most days is
your attitude!
~ Dennis Gaskill