I recently read that complaining is one of the top ten things that can contribute to an early demise.
Right up there with drinking too much alcohol, smoking, and recreational drugs.
What?
I was incredulous.
But there it was.
Apparently, the whole condition of complaining can attract so much negativity, that it will kill us.
Who knew?
I once knew a girl who kept a rubber band on her wrist. Every time she complained, she was supposed to snap it against her skin. As a reminder not to complain.
I don’t think I complain that much.
I prefer to think I am the opposite.
Grateful for everything and everyone.
But my significant other would beg to disagree.
He always points out when I complain about something.
And it is not infrequent.
If I am unhappy with the way the boots are arranged in the hallway, I rearrange them.
Does that count as a form of complaining?
I think it is just taking matters into my own hands to make things right.
I do believe that negativity is such a destructive force unto itself that it can attract more negative energy.
Such as is revealed in the book, The Secret.
But complaining?
I never feel I want to offend anyone, and so do not want to complain.
I watched a friend of mine tell someone at a kiosk at a fair once that she didn’t want a warm Coke. The vendor seemed devastated.
I watch people complain, and I watch the effect it has on the other person at the receiving end of the complaint.
It is never good.
The person complaining may seem happier once the burden of the complaint is lifted off their shoulders.
But the person receiving the complaint always seems cut to the quick.
I remember attending a company Christmas party when I was an insensitive 20-something, and when the boss asked how it was, I said the lobster was a bit dry.
His face fell to the floor.
As I grow more mature, I love the empathy, understanding and compassion that comes along with that maturity.
And the sensitivity to how our actions affect others.
So while complaining may make us feel good at the time, and in some cases is justifiable, as it lifts a perceived burden off our shoulders, it is a temporary feeling, and it comes at a great cost to another.
And so with that in mind, I cheerfully resolve to try to never complain again.