The Complaints Jar, Part One
Wow, I complain a lot! In two days I have found more to complain about than I even thought possible.
Am I complaining right now, even? I don’t know!
I had no idea that this personal challenge would be so tiresome, or that I would learn so much in so few days.
It reminds me of when my dad used to count, on his fingers, the number of times I said “like” as I spoke. After one hand had all the fingers up, I had usually forgotten what I was talking about from focusing too hard on not saying “like.” For this challenge, that is perfectly fine. I want to forget about whatever I found so irritating I needed to complain about it!
The first day was really rough, the second even worse. The chickens got into my lettuce bed, and I noticed this mere moments after I declared my challenge had started. When I ran outside to find my husband to save the lettuce bed, I saw a puddle of the neighbor dog’s pee right in the middle of the sidewalk that runs through our property. I burst into tears. All I wanted to do was complain and the frustration of not doing so basically imploded on me.
But all is well! Instead of blubbering about my immediate challenges, I ran into my grow room and cherished my vegetables and herbs sprouting there. Well, actually, first I ugly cried for two minutes on the toilet, but THEN I watered my plants and cheered up. I did keep failing that day (and the next), but I also kept trying.
Today I told my husband about how I couldn’t find a red swimsuit anyplace I had looked. He asked me if it was a complaint. Was it? Or was it just a statement of fact? For a moment I was really perplexed while we discussed it. I was reminded that the point of this challenge is to be more positive. If there is a more positive way to phrase something, then that is the way I would like to speak. Perhaps other ways of saying it aren’t necessarily all complaints, but for this purpose I need to think like they are.
Excuse me, I need to think “as if” they are.
I told my husband I was going to practice talking about the red swim suit in another way, to test out the level of positivity. I said, “Hey, I am looking for a red swim suit, so if you see one anywhere when you are out and about will you take a picture of the suit and the price and text it to me with the location?” Boom. Nailed it.
I realized afterwards that I had achieved optimism. I hadn’t planned on that. I just wanted to feel better about failing at finding the color swimwear I was searching for. Instead, the words that came from me spoke of still searching for this red swim suit. I suppose that is what positivity truly is, the persistent hope that something can and will happen, regardless of the odds.
Did I complain in this post? Probably. Oops!
