Everyone complains.
I caught myself complaining about difficulty I was having with a project at work by saying that the day was terrible and the project was terrible and everything was going wrong. After I'd made my case, I realized that it wasn't just the frustration talking. Actually, I quite enjoy a challenge, and I'd only become upset with my inability to solve the problem quickly. I wasn't having a bad day, but I was in the habit of having bad days, and framed my current complaint in that same language. All in all, I'd actually had quite a good day, all things considered, but I wasn't used to looking on thinking of my day that way.
I'd fallen into the habit of complaining.
But I'm not that far gone. My preferred adjective of choice is awesome, and I'm a big fan of happy emoticons, particularly ones that seem to confuse other people :_D <@:_D
I have a couple friends who have fallen into the habit of complaining to such an extreme that I cannot remember the last time that I heard a positive (non-sarcastic) word from them.
Blind optimism can be as annoying as perpetual pessimism, but it's striking how much your approach to life can influence your mood and the way you relate to others.
Probably the saddest story that I know is the way my Grandmother cannot go five minutes without criticizing or complaining about someone or something. I can't count the number of times that I've gone to a restaurant with her only for her to ask to be moved because the vent is blowing on her (this happens every time without fail), or hear how the hostess sat us too close to the kitchen, etc. I once watched her loudly berate her 92 year old husband for improperly recalling his own age.
I complain a good deal. But I recognize the pessimism within myself, and I strive to overcome it. The positives in life are everywhere, and I never want to be too blind to see them.
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