Probably since I was a teenager, people who complain month after month about what they do not have (or do have, but don't want), well, they've bothered me. Made me crazy.

Lately, I've been making myself crazy with all my own complaining.

But alas! I'm snapping out of it. I stopped whining about my living room and I rearranged it, instead. It still needs to be painted, but in the meantime, I'm thrilled with this new arrangement.

And instead of lolling around on the couch feeling convicted to death of watching too much tv, I got off the couch. And I'm not watching nearly as much tv now.

Instead of dragging around the house, all despondent because I wasn't getting enough sunlight, I began sitting out on our front porch or our patio every time the sun peaked through the clouds. I also began spending more time in front of windows when it was too cold to sit outside.

Instead of staying off my sore foot and not getting any exercise, I began walking a different way so that it wouldn't hurt as much. And doing exercises which don't require me to stand.

Always there is something we can do to improve our current annoyances--

Big jobs can be broken up into small ones. 
Phone calls for help can be made. 
Services can be bartered. 
Money can be saved-up over time for something we really want. 
Recipes and bargains and inspiration can be found online as well as encouragement and friendship and fun. 
Prayers can be prayed and closets can be decluttered and rooms can be painted one wall at a time. 
We can join a different group or start a new group if our current group doesn't feel right. 
Old friends can be found if we search hard enough and music can be listened to and funny movies can help us laugh again. 
Research can be done into our health so we can take better care of ourselves rather than reaching for pills, pills, pills. 
New hobbies can be started, new habits can be formed and new adventures can be taken.
And--

But often one thing must happen first -- we must push past the laziness. 

And the excuses and self-pity. We must do something, instead of complain about something. Push past all those barriers and usually we'll be amazed at what we discover over on the other side.



*****