Be Ashamed to Complain

We all vent.  We all complain.  After all, we are all human.

 

I think excessive complaining is learned, it can become a habit and I would like to make sure it is something that I am not known for and that I don’t teach my children.

I don’t know how many times I’ve seen people look at a picture of themselves and just start rattling off complaints.  “Look at my arm – it looks so fat, look at my hair – what a mess, look at my ass – it’s huge.  Never mind that your fat arm is holding your beautiful newborn baby, never mind that you are lucky enough to have hair that can be a mess, never mind that your ass is standing in front of your fiancé who was down on one knee proposing to you.

 

My point is, there are more important things in life.  Don’t let your complaints overshadow what is important in life.  Before we complain we need to stop and count our blessings, we need to gain perspective and we need to realize that relative to many people in the world we are beyond fortunate.

I am humbled to the core when I witness the struggles and misfortunes that people live with and rise above.  There was a lady recently hit and killed by a drunk driver while on her morning run, this made me thankful for every exhausted step I have run since.  There was a man dining beside me in a restaurant in a wheelchair without the use of his arms or legs, this made me thankful for each bite of food I was able to feed myself and enjoy.  I have known women who are unable to get pregnant or have not been able to carry their baby to full term, this makes me thankful for every nauseous moment, ache, pain and discomfort of my pregnancies.  I have known people who have desperately wanted a family but are unable to have one, this makes me thankful for the minivan, the fighting matches, the mine field of toys and all of the trials and tribulations of being a mother.

If you wake up in the morning, count your blessings.  If you are able to have breakfast, lunch and dinner, count your blessings.  If you are able to drive to work and earn a paycheck, count your blessings.  If you have a place to come home to, count your blessings.  If you have a spouse, a child, a companion, a pet count your blessings.  You are blessed my friend.

 

Next time you find a complaint getting ready to slip out of your lips, bite your tongue and think before you speak.  Save the energy you would spend complaining and use it to work towards a solution.  

P.S. Nobody likes a perpetual complainer, especially when your complaints are unfounded, then you just come across as a whiny, self-centered, ungrateful human being.

 

Be thankful.  Be Happy.

Meg