Wasting Time Whining

...it's what I'm trying *not* to do. We've all heard that successful people don't waste time whining or complaining, right? It makes perfect sense. The same stuff you're complaining about is still going to be there when you're done complaining about it, so get over it and get it done. I've never had a problem with this in most aspects of my life. I never complained about a lot of schoolwork. I just did it. I never complain about a lot of housework. I just don't do it (truth in advertising, people, I'm all about it). When I had four children in less than 3.5 years, I didn't complain about the diapers or the lack of sleep (well, except a little self-indulgent venting to my husband, but that doesn't even count). I just did it. Those babies needed to be fed (constantly) and changed and played with and they were my responsibility. So why do I waste so much time bemoaning certain things that I can't change? Specifically, I accept all the nonsense in my own life and just deal with it, but when things happen in my kids' or husband's lives (things that I can't change and that they can't change), I somehow forget everything that I preach, teach, and believe and revert to a whiny "it's not fair" childlike state. It's not attractive.

Case in point: all this year, Henry's company has had his paycheck messed up. They have been taking out more than ten times what they should be taking out for flexible spending each check. Well, they finally fixed it and they will refund us our money -- all on one check and all lumped on to his regular paycheck. Which will kick us into a higher tax bracket. Which means we will lose a bunch of that money (*our* money that never should have been taken out to begin with) to taxes. Henry is very zen about it because he knows there is not a damn thing he can do about it. He realizes that we will just have to wait until a year from now when he does our taxes to get that money back in our tax refund (when the government realizes that no, we actually don't make what this one check will suggest). I can't get over it, though. I'm so incensed. And for what? I can't change it.

I need to put my money where my mouth is and get over it. Thank God we have enough in the bank to absorb the loss. Thank God we even *have* a paycheck. With benefits. I *know* we're blessed beyond anything we could ever deserve. And that knowledge just makes me resent myself and my pettiness even more (because it's not *fair*, don't you see?!). What a silly vicious circle!

So many times I ask myself WWHD (What Would Henry Do) because he is just so pragmatic about so many things. He is the serenity prayer in action. (I know it's What Would Jesus Do, but for me, aspiring to be like Henry is a tad more realistic most times than aspiring to be like Jesus - which, of course, is the ultimate goal.)