Chronic Complainers

 
How do you feel about chronic complainers? Would they be allowed into your view of heaven? I drew this cartoon because I felt sorry for Kathy:

What do you think? What would your view of heaven be like?

Thanks to Grannymar, Rummuser, Evan and bikehikebabe for commenting on last week’s post.
This entry was posted in Humor, Love and Compassion. Bookmark the permalink.

16 Responses to Chronic Complainers

  1. Grannymar says:

    How do I feel about chronic complainers?

    They are a pain in the sitting down department and must suffer from laughter constipation! Jean, you shouldn’t ask me questions like this. 😉
    .-= Grannymar´s last blog ..Antrim Castle Gardens =-.

  2. Cathy in NZ says:

    I just spent about 20mins today dealing with a complainer….

    Explaining how my own disabilities have caused me a great of grief over the years and that maybe her own are not the only in the world.

    The complainer has a really big chip on her shoulder…she actually has a disability that is quite visible, born with some sort defect where her neck/head/trunk is out of shape in relationship to a regular body. But it’s her attitude that really is not positive as such.

    She has a nasty temper and on top of that she has an imagination that makes mountains out of molehills to a point where it’s hard to decide what is fact and what fantasty…she is fond of putting anyone ‘down’ as well, who makes any sort of positive/negative suggestion!

    Around Uni…she is often in trouble with those ‘who are trying to help her’ and it is difficult for those particularily in Disability. She admits she needs their help…but then she bad-mouthed them to others, including me.

    I think she is all mixed up 🙁 inside her head…

    She doesn’t think about how she portrays herself either and wears clothing & speaks in a rough sort of way… that to me gives off the wrong vibes!

    So today, I just thought…”heck, she thinks she is the only one in the world with a problem” sooooooo I explained to her what it was like to grow up with my disabilities:

    I was born with weak ankles and I wore special leather boots that came up above my ankles – all year round! I started school at 5yrs and within a week I was wearing glasses! So here was this child with “funny shoes & four-eyes” ….

    As I got older the leather boots disappeared but there was always the tremor, both of my hands are affected! So of course, every morning at work it would be some bright spark suggesting “that I had been out drinking the night before”! (occaisionally I had…)

    and occasionally I would be sporting a sprained ankle (pt of the weak ankle scenario) and have the tremor…just the sort of result of a ‘drunken night out, eh’

    She seemed quite shocked that I had so many invisible disabilities that has caused me enough grief; especially as I rarely talk about them because I don’t have a ‘chip on my shoulder’ as such!

    hoping that she remembers and doesn’t go on and on and on about how difference she is!!!
    .-= Cathy in NZ´s last blog ..You never know what’s in a trademans’ toolbox =-.

  3. Mike says:

    Two complainers have me on the verge of quitting facebook. All I hear from them is, “woe is me.” I’d drop them, but they are close family. And, then again, facebook is the ONLY place where I hear from them on a regular basis.
    .-= Mike ´s last blog ..Bull !!! =-.

  4. Rummuser says:

    Lawyer Fred had just finished his arguments defending John Loos on a murder trial. He left his clerk to await judgment and punishment and returned home for a hot bath and some whiskey. He told his wife that the clerk will telephone with the result and that she should come up and tell him what it was. He finished the bath and was drying the tub when his wife came up behind him and said, they are hanging loos tonight. He turned to her and said, “Nag, nag, nag, nag.”
    .-= Rummuser´s last blog ..Hands II And A Bonus =-.

  5. Jean says:

    Grannymar,
    I assume you wouldn’t let them into your view of heaven? What do you think heaven is/would be like?

    Cathy,
    I’m surprised that she would listen to you. Most of the complainers I know can’t conceive of anyone having problems as bad as theirs. They even get hostile if someone suggests it. It sounds as if you handled the situation well.

    Mike,
    The nice thing about them complaining in writing is it’s easier to skim and get the idea fast. In person it’s hard to shorten the monologue without hurting feelings. I’m starting to say, “They don’t call this a vale of tears for nothing. Life sucks and then we die.” It recognizes the feelings but emphasizes they haven’t been singled out. That’s what life is about.

    Yes, I cheerfully admit I don’t live my life that way, but that doesn’t mean they have to take my route.

    Rummuser,
    🙂 Humor is important to me too.

  6. Grannymar says:

    Jean, I think both heaven and hell are this life. We choose which one we want to live.
    .-= Grannymar´s last blog ..Places Please… =-.

  7. Jean says:

    Grannymar,
    I agree. “Life is how you make it and then we die.” That works for me. 😉 I’ll start using that as a phrase.

  8. Evan says:

    Heaven for me: a combination of sensuality, compassion and creativity.

    Complaining about complainers has layers of irony I think.

    I certainly find it tiresome. Occasionally I can connect and break through to a moment of genuine contact. (Far from easy though).

  9. bikehikebabe says:

    Complaining is fun. Better to get it out than “shove it under the rug”. However complain only to someone you know well. They know that you are frustrated, but underneath you are a fun loving, swell, wonderful person.

  10. Jean says:

    Evan,
    I love your comment about complaining about complainers. 😉

    bikehikebabe,
    I agree that complaining can be fun to do, but it’s not so much fun to listen to. That’s what the angel in the complaint department is for. 🙂

  11. Rummuser says:

    We can all gang up and ask Conrad to revive the whine bar~!
    .-= Rummuser´s last blog ..India’s National Anthem =-.

  12. Rummuser says:

    Flippancy and humor apart, I try and be like GBS. Let me quote him and leave you and your readers to decide.

    “This is the true joy in life: the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community, and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no ‘brief candle’ to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.” — George Bernard Shaw
    .-= Rummuser´s last blog ..Bloggers’ Block, Muses And Meditation. =-.

  13. Jean says:

    Rummuser.
    The GBS quote is one of my favorites too. That’s why I’ve given up complaining. It’s a waste of my time and energy. 🙂

  14. Jean says:

    PS What mighty purpose is your life force devoted to?

  15. Rummuser says:

    Right now, Service to Parent and Progeny. It sounds better in Sanskrit but looses the punch in translation. Pitru Putra Sevaa.
    Six months ago, it used to include Spouse/Patni!

    See what I mean? I could be complaining about the circumstances, as a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making me happy.
    .-= Rummuser´s last blog ..Meme From Grannymar. =-.

  16. Jean says:

    Rummuser,
    Of course I see what you mean…I figured that would be your answer. You didn’t need the last paragraph. 🙂

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