On being grouchy

I've caught myself being grouchy with people recently.  Mostly it is with someone who is being critical or complaining.  I'm thinking I just need to stop being grouchy, or at least stop posting when I am grouchy.

Now I would not advise that for everyone.  I think I love Annegb's posts as much for the forthright honesty they have as for anything else, and if she did not express herself when she was grouchy, I'd lose a great deal.

But for myself, I've learned to be patient with the joy of others.  I've learned to be patient with the pain of others, I need to learn to be accepting of the third party kvetching of others when it is aimed at someone else.

Other than that, I got the news yesterday that a dear friend's Alzheimer's broke through and is now disabling her. A move she made was just too much, in addition to some serious physical problems.  I'm bereft.

I was also leaned on someone for a legitimate complaint (against others).  She works.  Others in her extended family do not.  As a result, everyone puts gentle pressure on her to work more hours and send others money so they can stay home and not work.

But she has a spouse and children of her own.  She wants time with them.  She really resents the thought that her life doesn't matter as much, her spouse and children don't count as much, so she should be working overtime so everyone else in the family can slack off and stay home rather than work like she does.

I was sympathetic to her complaints.  I need to be sympathetic to more complaints.

Though, seriously, I'm getting tired of some people's constant rants about whichever hierarchy they've decided they should be criticizing in the harshest of terms.