File your complaints here. Can't see where I am pointing? Good!

I have become really sensitive to complaining recently. Maybe it is because I have cut down on watching the news so the auditory garbage entering my cranium has been reduced significantly. Or it very might well be because of Facebook. Because there, anyone can have an audience. Any. One. And when you don't have enough personality to update your status with something interesting, you just kvetch about something; the burr under your saddle perhaps? The thorn in your side? Someone harsh your buzz? I know the feeling. Because you are under the mistaken impression that your histrionics pass for a personality. Argh!  I don't want to get pulled down that unappealing rat hole (or is it a rabbit hole? Discuss).

(And to be clear, if *you* aren't one of the complainy people that are doing this, then not to worry, I am not talking about *you*. But I'm just wanting to do a little sassy finger wagging at the people who are. We can chitchat about irony later, but I just need to point out how absurd some people are and then this storm will blow over. If one person gets a reality check, I have done my job).

I started to think that it was because of the snow "storms" here (Come on people! Buck up!) that seemed to be such a shock to the system of northwesterners. The ratio of complainers on Facebook relative to people with interesting posts was disappointing.  And if you happened to catch most people face-to-face, it was about all they could talk about, I mean complain about. But as much as the jolt of whining about snow assaulted my eyeballs and earballs, I see the Complainy Complainersons all over the place, not just the Pacific Northwest. Not just on Face book. They are like tribbles; very troublesome (in kind of a geeky way) but not quite as furry. Get off my starship, ya hear?

I guess that when complainy meets funny, I find some retributive qualities. But straight up complaining is getting on my last nerve (she complains). So I what I am saying is that if you are going to bore us with your complaining, at least be funny. And if you don't have it in you to be funny, consider zipping it. Or loading all your complainy banter onto your spouse who told a whole bunch of people and a preacher that he/she was going to love you anyway. Or at least buy me a drink. Mother of pearl.

The way I see it, there are two types of things to complain about: things you can control and things you can't control. For the things you can't control, complaining is just going to make it worse because you can't do anything about it. You can work yourself up into a lather and the net effect is nada (other than the lather, I guess). So the other thing to complain about are things that you can change. And really, if they are bugging you so much, then you change them already! Is there some benefit that is gotten by sharing the gloom with others? Therapists get paid good money for that. So you should only complain to the people that love you or pay me some money. That is what I meant to say.

This reminded me of when I moved here and about a year after I started I went back to Chicago and saw an old friend. She started complaining immediately and I think she may be still going. And I wondered how I was ever friends with this person. I think we get conditioned to tolerate complaining. And wouldn't right now be a time to have that happen? I am sure that we can see plenty of things to complain about. But could it be worse? And can we see a heck of a lot we can be thankful for? Maybe it's all the work I am doing personally that has me in this place. Last weekend, I looked around and thought "how did I get here?" and then I thought " I like this; where I am!'. Every single one of us has someone that would love to be in our shoes (well all of us except one guy and I am pretty sure he's not reading this). I hate to be all sunshine and rainbows. But if we balanced out all our complainin' with some thankfulness, we would be in much better shape. Is it sunny out or is it cold out? Yes it is. Can't you just appreciate the sun?

I think about how much consumer confidence has to do with our financial outlook. Look, I know we got here because of some sense of entitlement and people living beyond their means and a bunch of other unsavory business. But the economy is not going to start to recover until people feel that things are on an upswing. Yeah, that requires some positivity. And maybe living a better life requires the same thing. We have to heal ourselves.  Attitude is everything, my friends. I absolutely hate that I just said that. But someone had to say it.