Chronic complainers, and that includes me

Yesterday, I had to run errands. I'm not crazy about this chore, but it's something that needs to be done...at least once a week. After I got back home and settled down for the evening, I began to wonder why I was feeling so stressed out. I hadn't really done all that much. Then it hit me. I'd spent nearly the entire day being upset and angry. In hindsight, these upsetting incidents were just that; incidents. They weren't life-threatening or life-altering. They were all just small little annoyances that I let get under my skin; getting cut off in traffic, having to wait in long check-out lines, and sales staff that grunted and pointed when asked a simple question. So why, exactly, was I letting these things bother me so? I think it's because they were all circusmstances that I couldn't control. Let's face it. We all like everything to be in nice, neat packages...just the way WE like like them to be. Do we ever stop to think that the guy who cut us off was on his way to the hospital? Or that the grumpy sales clerk might be having a bad day? This happens to all of us. We all act inappropriately from time-to-time. We arent thinking about others. No. We're only thinking about our own problems. It's not that we're selfish, really. It's more that we are all becoming "islands unto ourselves." The wonderful Mohandas K. Ghandi once said, "Be the change you want to see in the world." How true! And not just for the big things,either. We can use this message to help with our daily irritations, as well. Just imagine coming home after a long day "out in the world" and feeling relaxed and happy instead of stressed and angry. We're never going to see everyone happy at the same time that we're out doing our thing, so why not simply change our attiude towards them? We can be polite and relaxed and at-ease, no matter where we or what life throws our way. The great thing about attitudes, is that they can be changed. When we're nice and kind and compassionate to others, it spreads; making everybody's day a little better...not just our own.
Enjoy your weekend. Be safe. And I'll see back here on Monday!