31 Days with Mama A: Stop complaining. (Day 14)

This morning the girls and I had an interesting drive to school.  We were chatting about this, that, and the other and somehow we got on the topic of how incredibly fortunate we are in our country and in our home.  They didn't realize that just by being born in our country, living in a home, having their needs met, and having two parents they are more fortunate than most.

Olivia. Hours old.
I think my sister-in-law took this photo.

The girls were astonished when I shared that we were in the top 96% of the richest people in the world--and they know that money is not something we tend to have a lot of in our home.  They know that they can't have everything they want and they know there are times that we can't "just get takeout" or buy that fun little trinket from the Dollar Spot at Target.  But they know they have everything they need and a lot of things that they want.

They have a nice waterfront home on loan to them.  They are never too hot or too cold, they are always able to get it just right.  They have their choice of clothing, food, and entertainment options.  They are able to go to school and learn and are able to be just about anything they want to be when they become grownups.  They can go to church and not be killed for it.  They can speak out against the government and not worry.

We have running water.  

We have all of these wonderful gifts staring us in the face every single minute of every single day. 

And somehow, we've completely missed them all. 

The girls and I decided to take a little challenge today:  We simply agreed not to complain.  We recognized how much we take for granted and how we need to remember that these minor things we tend to get bent out of shape over are just not a big deal. 

Today we boiled it down to this:  You're alive.  You're loved.  You've been fed and taken care of.  You have all that you need.  There's no reason to complain.    

I know that I find negativity to be my default.  There are so many times that I've felt sorry for myself when things didn't go exactly how I planned or wanted.  I caught myself a few times today and was able to turn the conversation around.  Other times I found myself mid-complaint and quickly mentally reminded myself to stop.  

It's a bad habit and I so want to break it.  I want to break it in my girls.  I want our hearts to break for things that are more important and life-giving.  It's a hard task.  I feel like our American ideals have been planted firmly in our hearts.  

So today we started with one mission:  Stop complaining.  

Love and smooches, 

Mama A. 

xoxxo