82

A little less than a year ago, I got a call from my dad that said my granny had had a stroke.

Today is her 81st 82nd (whoops! I don't think granny will mind me taking a year off) birthday and we're celebrating with her here still.

While I know this past year has been extraordinarily difficult for my family in Texas, we have a lot to be grateful for. My granny will never be the same, but she is still here. All the pain and hurt that has happened in the past year for one reason or another doesn't seem so important at the moment.

I've noticed recently all the negativity that surrounds a lot of my friends.  Complaints about jobs, quips here and there about late-arriving husband, kids that aren't obeying or who are being difficult, complaints about animals, gripes about prepping dinner (or lack thereof). Sometimes the weather isn't cooperating, a car needs repairs or a flight has been delayed. The last time I truly stopped and listened to complaints was my freshman year in college. There's no doubt when 100s of girls live together in a dorm, that complaints are going to fly. But the girls I shared a space with were horrendous and I remember thinking that it's very easy to become like those you are around.  I figured if the people around me were complaining, then I was probably complaining a lot too.

Boy, was I right.

It's amazing how your outlook can effect your overall disposition. Instead of complaining alongside my dorm-mates about all the papers and tests I had, I simply listened to their complaints and resisted the urge to toss one of my own out there. Over time, all I heard was complaints.  And then, over time, I didn't even think about complaining alongside my friends. It slowly disappeared from my everyday chatter.

I'm back on the complaining track again. My Facebook status currently shows my displeasure with our Internet service provider because it went out in the middle of a hectic work day. But what's the point? Does it really do anyone any good - primarily me - to complain about it?  Do people really want to read it? I obviously thought so because I posted it. But me complaining about it is a reflection my heart and my outlook. Life is full of bumps and curve balls and things won't always go the way I expect or plan. It certainly doesn't do anyone any good for me to complain about it.

It wasn't that long ago that I didn't have a job and when I heard people complain about their jobs, it cut deep. I wished I had a job to complain about.  I can't even imagine how much it hurts people to read about kid issues when they are unable to have children. When people complain about having the flu, people who are struck with a terminal illness would gladly deal with just the flu.

So many of the Facebook status updates are so negative and I'm honestly sick of reading them.  I don't really want the negativity in my life. I'm truly sorry that my friends are dealing with stresses in their lives, but that doesn't mean I need to surround myself with the complaints.  If a friend wanted to reach out to me for help, I would gladly be there, but this is different.

I have another friend that updates with Joy #124, etc. She mentions a joy and gives it a number, and lists the joy.  It's incredibly inspiring.  Sometimes her joy is simply her cup of coffee.  Other times, it's when her daughter says please, thank you and sorry. I think I'm going to take a tip from her playbook and start my own joy series. I've experienced firsthand that when I don't complain, I feel better about myself and my life.

Today, I'm more than joyful that my granny is around for her 82nd birthday. There actually isn't enough joy in the world to communicate how much of a blessing this is.