quit your whining

Just read a little piece about 'complaining'. Thought it might be a good time to serve up some seeds...for another day in paradise. I'm thinkin' that the antidote to complaining is gratitude. I use it all the time. The moment I even begin to think about whining (which I absolutely loathe), I stop dead in my tracks and take a breath. The next thought that comes to mind is, "Girlie, you have soooooo much to be grateful for. Quit your whinin' and just say thanks." Works every time. Cuz the way I see it, things could be wayyyyyy worse. I mean, I live in this incredible place with all kinds of beauty around me, I have a fabulous bed with soft cotton linens that I can wash any time I want. I have food in my cupboards and clothes on my back (with plenty more in my closets), I have loads of people who love me, and make me laugh and are always here for me when I need 'em. I have running water (both hot and cold!) and all the technological stuff like a computer and a TV and a stereo, etc., I have treasures EVERYWHERE around me...crystals and plants and pictures and stuff to remind me of my wonderful life. I have a terrific little purple truck that carries me wherever I want to go. I have skilled hands and a brain that works. I have books and music and wind chimes and electricity and heat and fans and musical instruments and friends and.......

Well, you get the point. I have a LOT. Most of us do. Trouble comes when we start thinkin' about what we DON'T have. NOT a good place to go. I mean, it's great to want more. I'm all for more. But wanting more doesn't mean we have to dis' what we already have. Or ignore it. Or not appreciate it. You can want all the 'more' in the world, so long as you're appreciating what you've already got. Know what I mean?

Think about this: right now, somewhere on the planet, there are kids, and old folks, and people in general who haven't eaten today. Or had a bath in weeks. Or don't even know what a computer is, let alone have one. There are kids right here in the good ol' U.S. of A who haven't seen their mothers in days cuz they're out getting high somewhere and forgot they have kids. There are women who can't leave their homes for fear of brutal attacks. There are elderly citizens who are eating dog food cuz they don't have enough money to buy people food. There's so much SHIT goin' on out there...and I'm SOOOOOOO not one to dwell on such things...but it doesn't mean I don't know. It doesn't mean that because I choose not to dwell that I don't send out prayers for them. And, in the end, it's because I do know that I cannot abide whining. It just ain't right.

We all have tons to be grateful for. Regardless of what's going on economically, we still have no room to complain. So the next time you hear yourself whining, go grab some cheese to go with it. As Larry Winget says:

"Quit your whining, shut up and get a life."

Maybe not the most eloquent of messages, but it sure hits the spot.

(By the way, if you've never heard of him, he's hilariously brilliant. I had the great opportunity to see him live once...and I roared the entire time he spoke. The guy was about as down-home as they come...and remarkably on point. Very funny stuff.)