I have a complaint . . .

Doesn’t everyone.  But just because everyone can pass gas at dinner, doesn’t mean anyone should.  Yes, I know it’s natural, complaining, gas is too, but everything natural isn’t good/necessary.  We live in an apartment, so we walk our dog 2-3 times a day.  And good dogs pee and poop on the grass, magical ones use the toilet.

We let him do his business on the grass next to the street, not in people’s front yards, and we always pick it up etc., and yesterday I ran into an elderly lady, who was starring at Douglass (dog).

She walked up to Douglass saying, “You’re killing my grass.”  I immediately grinned slightly, maybe a defense mechanism, but more so puzzlement & amusement, why was this lady telling Douglass that he’s killing the grass.

She then explained to me, how hard she works on her yard by herself and that she pays property taxes.

My response, at first was trying to be helpful.  I suppose I hold a dumb idea of giving elderly people a pass/break, so I suggested, “You could replace the grass with rocks.”  She didn’t want rocks, and it became apparent she wanted her complaints and/or her way.  So she began again, and concluded with a solution of, “I’ll poison the grass.”

And my response without a grin, “You don’t want a law suit for poisoning public property.”  We all pay taxes.  She left, and I made sure Douglass did all of his business there.  Petty I know.

This small interaction perturbed me enough to think about it.  This old lady is complaining about something outside of her control, and in that moment to those who don’t care – Douglass nor I care.  And then I thought what do I complain about?

Most of our complaints are changeable.  The solution involves accepting responsibility.  And a lot of us would rather complain, it’s easier, and it’s not truly causing us enough discomfort to do something about it, so we’ll deal with it and/or are use to it, and have accepted the belief, ‘This is how it is.’

“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”  – Viktor E. Frankl, ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’

I do my best not to waste my energy, thoughts or time on meaningless things.  It’s exhausting, emotional, and wasteful.  Occasionally in the realm of politics and social injustice I repeatedly get quite worked up.

“Most of us fear running out of time, time is the not resource, energy is.” – Not sure who said it, and I did not quote this verbatim.

So, what to do about these complaints, these problems that are plaguing our daily lives.  Well, either we change our attitude towards it or we make a change.  And there are other options: continue complaining about it, i.e., boring and infecting anyone that will listen with negativity, or live with it.

I remember I complained to my Dad once when I was in college about how much a side job was paying me.  My Dad asked me two simple questions.  “Did you know how much they were going to pay you?”  “Yeah,” I responded.  “And did you know what the job was when you took it?” Dad inquired further.  And the only answer I had was, “Yeah, I did.”

The company hadn’t wronged me, they had no responsibility for my complaint.  Only I did.

So, after the lady, I decided to make a pact with myself.  I will not complain without having an active step(s) to take towards a solution nor will I complain to others without wanting a solution.

**Side note** Please don’t complain that I haven’t written for a long time.  I’ve been on hiatus

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” – Proverbs 18:21

“Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice!  Have mercy also upon me, and answer me.” – Psalms 27:7

“A man’s belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled.” – Proverbs 18:20

“Do everything without complaining and arguing.” – Philippians 2:14

“For with God nothing shall be impossible.” – Luke 1:37