Danes are a whiny bunch. There, I said it. We have a tendency to always see the glass as half empty. Optimism and unmotivated smiling is not so much frowned upon, but more seen as some sort of denial or half-religious craziness, reserved for hippies and people who sell HerbaLife. The rest of us know that life is hard and unfair and we never win the lottery and it always bloody rains in this country.
I don’t complain about the weather. Because there’s nothing I can do about it anyway. I try to affect the things I can, like doing the best work I can or seeking help or knowledge if there’s something I’m having trouble with. And I complain, sure. It’s a way for me to identify what really bugs me, so I can do something about it.
Life is full of annoyances and inconviniences. I make an effort of trying to make the most of it. The train stuck between stations? Great, more time to read my book. Elevator out of order? Great, free excercise. Too hot outside? Great, an excuse to stay inside and draw comics. Two-year old screaming her head of instead of sleeping at night? OK, you got me. I’m not a total happyfreak. But I try. I really do believe what you focus on is what you see.
Walking home from town today, I was caught in the rain. It came pounding down, mercilessly. I stopped under an awning and made some phone calls. And I looked at the rain, admiring the shininess it left on every surface and the way it muted all color around me.
A lot of things are beyond my control. And a lot of things are not. The trick is to stay cool under fire and learn to tell those things apart and focus your energy where it makes sense. And stop whining. I should write that on a big board and pin it to my head. Because I was the whiniest of them all. I can’t believe I still have any friends left! Well, I learnt my lesson. Better late than never.
I wrote this post in the dark, my two-year old daughter trying to fall asleep next to me, sometimes on top of me. I’m making the best of a crappy situation, taking my own medicine. Hope there is a useful lesson in here for you too.
– Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Some years ago, I was on a canoe trip with one of my friends, and after we capsized and were busy rescuing our crying daughters and preventing our gear from floating off, he beamed, "This is so great! Last time something like this happened, I was under fire in Bosnia."
Ha ha, great story! I would love to hear your friend's story about his canoe trip in Bosnia.