complaint-free zone

Complaint-free me, Day 19: Congested

I did not complain today because I had no one to complain to.

Technically, that’s not true–I could complain to myself, and I kind of did, because I stayed at home to battle the worsening congestion I have been experiencing in my sinuses over the past few months.

In spring 2016 I experienced allergy-like symptoms and my doctor said it was quite possible that I had developed an allergy or two as allergies are neat that way. You can get them later in life because allergies are jerks.

Spring of 2017 saw similar symptoms but in the summer they went away, as one would expect of seasonal allergies.

Then something curious happened. When the weather started to cool and turn damp in the fall, the symptoms came back. Was I suddenly allergic to bare trees and the absence of pollen? I grumbled a bit to myself but kept on keeping on.

In the last month or so it’s gotten worse to the point that:

  1. I sometimes get so clogged up I can’t breathe. This is never good and it sometimes happens in places where I really wouldn’t want it to happen, like on public transit or when sitting in a movie theater.
  2. certain sleep positions will cause the same thing, to the point that I’ve started using Breathe Right strips every night just to force my nose to stay open (they actually help, too).
  3. even when I’m not completely clogged up, I’m usually no less than 50% clogged up. As I type this my left nostril is open but the right is about 95% blocked. This will arbitrarily switch later on*.
  4. the symptoms persist everywhere–at home and at work, in the rain and in the dark, on a train and in a car**.

The ever-persistent state concerns me because if it is an allergy, it suggests I’m allergic to something that’s ever-present, like dust or air or atoms or something. Anyway, I’m going to get tested for allergies soon. In the meantime I’ll just keep moving about rapidly, as it’s one of the few ways I can keep my sinuses reliably open. Gotta go!

Oh, all of which is to say that while I may have complained extensively to myself today about my congestion, I didn’t complain to anyone else–and I’m not complaining now! I’ve assessed the situation, made a plan of action and will be following up, because that’s how winners battle being allergic to atoms.

On to Day 20!

 

* in the time it took to get to the end of the post, the nostril situation has reversed. It’s all very weird.
** apologies to Dr. Suess

Complaint-free me, Day 16: [witticism here]

Day 16 was a Monday, a global issue arose shortly after arriving at work and The Rains continued unabated (albeit with a brief sunny break in the afternoon). Did I complain? Nope!

The global was managed, the temperature was quite mild despite the sogginess, and I am able to find my Zen state with relative ease.

For those inclined to complain about these complaint-free posts, rejoice. If I stay on track I’ll only be doing five more.

Onto Day 17.

Complaint-free me, Day 15: Observations, not complaints

It rained a lot today. It was monsoon-like. Did I complain?

YES.

Just kidding.

I don’t mind running in the rain but running in a downpour is frankly no fun, but I wanted to exercise, so I suggested we go to the pool and we did. I got a good 30-minute workout on the elliptical trainer that, combined with the same yesterday, equaled the effort of doing the 10K I missed out on…all while keeping completely dry.

Behold the power of positive thinking. Or thinking, at least.

Jeff is catching himself more often now and trying to put a more positive spin on things, even if the spin is a wee bit sarcastic. It’s cute! I appreciate the effort, though. Every time someone complains to me I am still fighting the impulse to agree or complain back. Each day the impulse weakens, so I cling tenaciously to that.

Six days to go and will I keep wearing this blue elastic band that I have yet to replace with a proper bracelet? Heck no. If I think I’ll still need that after 21 days I’ll consider my effort a failure and reset to Day 1.

But I may replace it with a proper bracelet, anyway, because sometimes I just do stuff like that.

Complaint-free me, Day 14: Two weeks and nothing to complain about

That’s a bald-faced lie, of course. Just tonight I saw things that I would have impulsively complained about before. They wouldn’t have been serious, soul-destroying complaints, but complaints all the same. And as I thought of these complaints, the follow-up thought was always the same: Would verbalizing this complaint achieve anything positive or useful? The answer was (and is) always no.

The old saw about not sweating the small stuff works well when applied to daily life complaints. It’s just not worth mustering the negative energy to make the complaints. You maybe get a small, temporary boost when someone affirms your complaint (“Yeah, that brown wallpaper is hideous. There oughtta be a law!”) but it is fleeting, almost ephemeral, and wouldn’t you feel better focusing on something positive instead, or even just keeping quiet and thinking Zen-like thoughts? I don’t have too many Zen-like thoughts, but passing on the complaint has never felt like the wrong thing to do.

Anyway, onto Day 15 and the third and final week. I may still blow it, but I’m confident now that if it happens it will be the result of a genuine minor slip and not just being a crankypants in a foul mood.

Complaint-free me, Day 13: And lucky, too

One thing I am learning to do is to talk critically about someone or something without actually complaining, by describing concerns in as neutral terms as possible, focusing on the positive, seeking solutions, and all that feel-good shit.

I’m serious, but I really wanted to use the phrase “feel-good shit,” too.

A lucky thirteen days completed, let’s see if I can officially make it to the two-thirds mark tomorrow. Excelsior!

Complaint-free me, Day 12: Fake complaints

The closest I came to complaining today was when a co-worker came in just before noon and I asked if it was still raining. He said yes and I uttered a comical  “Boo” under my breath. In reality I didn’t care because I just had lunch inside and wrote a haiku instead of going for a walk as I would have if it wasn’t raining.

But to show how on guard I am now, as soon as I uttered the “Boo” I wondered if I had broken my streak.

So then I further asked myself if I actually cared what the weather was doing. And the answer was no. It’s January, it’s gonna rain.

I wore my hat.

On to Day 13.

Complaint-free me, Day 11: Thinking about my brain

It’s entirely possible I’ve slipped up and complained somewhere, about something, maybe something so slight it didn’t register and the person I spoke to didn’t know I had sworn off complaining and didn’t highlight the complaint to me.

Maybe, but I’m leaning more toward no, and the reason why is because, especially at work, I find when I am discussing a subject with someone and something comes up that could be easily complaint-worthy (eg. the weather) I fond myself thinking more about how I choose my words and what I say. If the other person complains, I automatically reply with something either putting a positive spin on things or I move on, I don’t nod or agree or say something like, “GOOD GOD YES WHEN WILL IT STOP RAINING? RAIN GRR!”

I can still slip up, of course–it only takes a moment and I’m back to Day 1. But I’m edging closer to believing I have a good chance of making it now to Day 21.

However it goes, I’ve made it past the halfway point at least once as of today. Woo.

Onto Day 12.

Complaint-free me, Day 10: Yep

Very busy, no time to complain (also no desire to complain. Proof: Tonight the SkyTrain pulled into Nanaimo station and an announcement said the train was out of service and we’d have to get out. I was not peeved, I just got out–then quickly got back in after someone suggested they were making the announcement to the wrong train, which turned out to be true. So by being tentative and thinking positive, it all worked out. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it).

On to Day 11.

Complaint-free me, Day 9: [clever title here]

These updates will keep getting shorter and shorter until I screw up like the Hindenburg crashing onto the Titanic.

Today I was essentially too busy to complain. Plus the weather turned sunny in the afternoon and I went and sang in the fields with magic bunnies.

Okay, I just kept working, but it was still nice to see the sun out.

I can almost feel the urge to complain about things starting to submerge. It’s still there, lingering around the edges, but the immediate impulse has been subdued. For now, at least.

Onto Day 10.

Complaint-free me, Day 8: All by myself /Eric Carmen

Another day in which the opportunity to complain was nearly absent as I spent it by myself, shopping and walking and listening to music and having a bubble bath and otherwise being mellow (or chill, if you prefer).

Would someone stranded on a desert island for more than 21 days be considered complaint-free after being rescued? I guess it depends on what they say when the boat/plane/blimp arrives.

Complaint-free:

Rescuer: We’ve come to save you.
Desert Island survivor: It is most appreciated. How I have missed my cat, Mr. Winkles.

Maybe not complaint-free:

Rescuer: We’ve come to save you.
Desert island survivor: About bloody time. I’m sick of coconuts!

On to Day 9.