A couple of months ago, a local friend was on a rant.
“You know what you can’t find down here?” she asked. “Good bread.”
I’ve been down this road with my local friends and neighbors, which is why I almost lost it on the spot.
First of all, Durham is sick with delicious bakeries. Cary has an awesome french bakery, too. If you can’t find good bread in RTP, you might as well pack it up and move back to New York because this part of the country is wasted on you.
So, yeah, I was pretty annoyed by the bread comment, but I was more annoyed that this woman is totally ABC — always be complainin’.
If it’s not bread, it’s the weather. If it’s not the weather, it’s the price of gas. If it’s not gas, it’s the people who run the local schools.
But, hey, I’m no fool. We hate things in other people that we hate in ourselves. Listening to this woman made me wonder — could I go 24 hours without complaining?
Three months later, I haven’t achieved that goal. I cannot go a full day without griping about something.
I want to practice gratitude, but it’s hard.
I am very thankful for my life. I am appreciative of my family and friends for humoring me when I’m being ridiculous. But something always sticks in my craw — from politics to neighborhood drama.
Being self-aware is helpful, though. I can catch myself in the act of being negative. I notice the spiral. I can stop and reframe how I truly feel.
And how do I feel?
I’m thankful. Always.
But making it 24 hours without complaining will always be a challenge for me. I am not going to listen to some suburban chick complain about the bread. First it’s bread, next it’s Obama.
You know how this works.
But I’m going to continue practicing gratitude and try to make it 24 hours without complaining. One day … it will happen. I am an optimist.