The Hunt for Annoyances

There are times in life when, instead of complaining, you do something about your complaints.

...Rita Dove

******* 

Since August I've asked myself, "Which things annoy me most around Hobbit Cottage?"

Gee--the long list surprised me!

Yet I've plugged away slowly and fixed a few annoyances. The huge ones were that broken down old couch of ours and our oh-so-brown living room. Both are gone now--whew! Now I spend too much time in that room because I'm in love with it.

When I showed you a certain photo of our open living area I thought, "Uh-oh! Now the kitchen looks all oh-so-brown. Gah." Stay tuned for a couple painting changes I'll make in there. 

Tom's 'man cave' overwhelmed me for months each time I even stepped through the door. Well, I rearranged parts of it, cleared away some unnecessary items and--although not nearly finished--I can walk in there and not feel like hyperventilating. heh.

More? I hung a new shower curtain liner to replace the ratty ol' tearing one. I've been keeping up with the sycamore tree bark, crushing it by hand, and spreading it as mulch in my flower beds. My bedroom closet needed a light for two years(!) so I finally hunted up an extension cord and placed a lamp in there. My nightstand blocked too much light from my bedroom window (oh, how I crave light!) so I replaced it with a small iron bistro table.

(Our sycamore trees are going naked this year.)

Why share these? Because any average, run-of-the-proverbial-mill person can complain. And unless you're complaining to somebody with the power to change things? Well, moaning just wastes breath, energy and well, your life. 

The good news: pro-activity is better. Amazing, even.

Now, can we change every annoying thing? Uh, no (sometimes God prefers that we change, instead). Yet God can give us wonderful ideas, ways and the means to make changes when we choose pro-activity instead of whining like helpless babies.

We are not helpless.

No, the huge God of all creativity dwells inside us, the one through whom we can do all things and mostly? I believe He waits around a lot, you know, for us to ask for help. Sometimes we're clueless, overwhelmed and discouraged simply because we forgot to ask for His ideas, His help, His creative Spirit.

But how wonderful when we remember!

*********


"You have not because you ask not."  ... From the book of James.


You don't make progress by standing on the sidelines, whimpering and complaining. You make progress by implementing ideas.


... Shirley Chisholm