Bitching, Moaning and Whining (Hey! That spells BMW !?!)

I have just completed a “9 day Karma Cleanse.”  As one of the components of this exercise I was asked to monitor and eliminate “All expression of dissatisfaction.” I had thought that I don’t whine and complain much.  And I don’t, much, but what I did notice was a strange and unnecessary and unhelpful habit that I have. When making polite superficial conversation with a neighbour or someone I vaguely know, I have a habit of making a negative comment or complaining. It is almost as though I feel that this is what is expected.

Example: The neighbour is mowing our shared nature-strip. Instead of something grateful and cheerful  like “Thank you”, or “doing a good job!” I will say “The work never ends does it?” When telling someone that both my children are overseas in the Northern Hemisphere enjoying the snow, I will add “and I am stuck here in this humidity.”  I don’t mind that I am here in the sunshine, I am happy,  so WHY do I add this untrue, unnecessary,  whinging pom* statement J

Why not give it a try yourself?  Monitor when you “express dissatisfaction” with your life, your job, your circumstances?  Has this become a social norm or even a social expectation? Or is it just us Whinging Poms?

*For those who are not Aussies, I have included a definition of Whinging Pom courtesy of googling the net,

A whinging pom is what used to describe a person of British origin who will consistently complain about any situation that they may face. They are emotionally unable to deal with any sort of adverse condition without commenting negatively about it.The typical ‘whinging pom’ can be often located in such global locations such as Australia, New Zealand, Canada. Though also found in multiple other locations in high concentrations (such as the USA), they tend to countries that at least pay some lip service to their beloved monarchy.