A little experiment.

            It has come to my attention that I am not grateful enough for the things I have in life.  No, nobody pointed this out to me.  I actually reached this conclusion by listening to my whiny five-year-old after he stayed up too late last night. 

According to him, this was “the worst day ever.”  His underwear was too tight.  His pajamas were too long.  I forgot to put ice in his cup…  Oddly, I thought his day was pretty perfect.  He attended Star Wars camp from 9-12.  Went to Cupcake for a “Decorate your own cupcake” event.  Then spent the late afternoon and evening with his friend Jack and his family on a boat in the harbor.  Did I forget to mention he also got to ride a child-sized Ducati and stay at his friend’s house playing until 9:30?

Completely annoyed, ready to tell him to shove it, and that his life wasn’t so bad, I realized there are plenty of times when my kids, friends, and husband probably want to yell the same thing at me.  Therefore starting tomorrow morning from the moment I wake up, I will not allow myself to complain about a single thing for twenty-four hours. 

Instead of getting frustrated by the person driving 12 mph in a 45, I will be thankful that I have a car.  After all, a lot of people don’t.  Instead of accusing Crews of leaving sticky fingerprints all over my iPhone, I will be grateful I possess one.  It still works fine when it is sticky and it only takes 10 seconds to clean.  But more important than possessions, I plan to acknowledge the people I hold dear.  The ones who live two streets over and those who are a five hour plane ride away.  Yesterday, I knew four people who were in the hospital.  Four people!  That’s a lot of illness, injury, and unfortunately for a friend of mine, one heartbreaking loss.

I need to let all of the little, unimportant things slide.  I need to spend less time focusing on what is wrong and much more appreciating what is right.  I think I’ll start with my husband and kids.  And if you get a random phone call from me for the first time in months, you’ll know why.  I’m just checking in, letting you know how grateful I am to have you in my life.

The day of no complaining begins tomorrow.  Wish me luck.