Complaints

I find myself complaining a lot.

I complain about my weight, my job, my health, where we live, how we live, how I look, my grey hair, my "square bum", the traffic, the city (I almost said "accursed city" but then realized that would be complaining too), how tired I am, how tired I look...  God knows how my husband puts up with it all.   He just told me that I only complain about everything I have to do every day (work, traffic, city, driving, the weather).  Mostly, he says "you complain about your environment."  Yikes.

I guess I have my good points too.

But I think the thing I complain about most is the pace of life.  Am I just getting old and grouchy?  Am I in some way depressed, as every other commercial for an SSRI would suggest?  Or is there something to this?  As I get older, and my life gets more complicated (husband, daughter, increased job "success") have things really gotten so out of control, or am I imposing this on myself, needlessly?

I cannot tell you how many people complain about "not having enough time" or being "stressed out".  It's an epidemic.  We know that our forefathers worked much harder than we did (or were told that they did) and complained less.  But do we really know that?  Maybe they bitched and moaned about plowing the fields, milking the cows, churning the butter or rearing their ten kids.  Maybe they worked less than 40-50 hours a week.  I need to look into this.  Someone has been fibbing.

Let's look at one of the first modern conveniences - washing machines (circa 1910-1940).  These miraculous devices were supposed to "save us time".  Where did all that time go?  Are we using it for leisure time?  Or did we essentially layoff an entire sector of our society?  100 years ago, someone with our family income would have had paid "domestic help."  Now?  We feel guilty about needing help.  We are encouraged to be self-sufficient, "perfect housekeepers" - more than 50 years after we have been "liberated".  Except now we're supposed to be sexy/skinny, stylish and tireless.  Oh and titans of industry, primary breadwinners and fertile.

Where did the time go?  Where did the extra money go?

I'm going to attempt to unravel this mess, this problem of feeling overwhelmed, stressed and "out of time" ...and I am perfectly willing to accept that I am a whiner, if that's what I find.

Are you with me?  Let's figure this out.

M