I’m working in my favorite little coffeeshop this morning. I’m wearing headphones. Yet, the music’s being drowned out by the complainer lady* a couple tables over.
No kidding. Everything sucks. The way the little league coach treats her kid sucks. The way the doctors in her office treat her sucks. The act has included not only loud noises but pointy-finger-pounding-on-table gestures indirectly thrust toward the poor woman across the table from her.
I’m wondering not so much about complainer lady but the woman she evidently invited out to coffee this morning. How much slumpier her shoulders must be as she sets sail on the rest of her day.
Complainer ladies don’t tend to look past their own lives to consider the feelings of others though. Do they?
Lady – the world’s not out to get you. The world has its own problems, thank you. Maybe … just maybe … you should take a breath and stop listening to so much talk radio.
Your kid and your co-workers and your future listeners across future tables and no-talent hacks already struggling to write two tables over will all be grateful. So, too, might you.
Today, vow not to be complainer lady. Please. Thank you.
*Complainer Gentleman Sold Separately
But wouldn’t this be a post of "do as I say, not as I do"? Because in essences, you are complaining about the complainer, yet you tell us not to complain. Now, all be it, you are doing it in a more "silent" tone, so maybe the message is, complain, just do it a little less loudly?
Fair enough. She was complaining about everything – the whole world was against her. And yep, I guess I was doing a passive-aggressive version of complaining about her – in so much that I was using her as – hopefully – a reminder to myself and maybe others that this type of all-consuming negativity can be … umm … all-consuming.
We become aware of the world by what we view, read, touch, hear, taste. We live on this earth and look out from our eyes and listen with our ears and think with our brain and taste with our mouth. It really sucks when our world becomes completely contected with someone who believes everything is all about them
In Mark’s book, chapter 12 he writes about the lesson his teacher taught; ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these." This teaching could sure use a spin or two around the block these days.