I tend to be way too negative. I can always find some crap to complain about and I don’t like that about myself. I really think that my mind is tuned to the wrong frequency. When I’m out and about, I notice the guy who doesn’t put his cart away. I see the mother who isn’t paying attention while her kids run wild. I complain about bad drivers. I even complain about stuff that is wrong in my own life.
On Monday (American holiday of Labor Day), I spent the day breaking up the concrete retaining wall in preparation for yet another home improvement project. It was hotter than hell and the work was miserable. I’m a skinny guy and swinging a sledgehammer is not my forte. I bitched, bitched, bitched.
However, life is actually pretty good. I have a nice job where I can work from home, freeing up tons of time. I have a sane wife and two good and healthy children. Our home is a wreck at the moment due to home improvements, but we have a home. Better yet, it’s in a neighborhood that we really like. So, it’s time to stop complaining and ranting, at least for a moment.
Over the holiday weekend, we went to visit my wife’s aunt and uncle. I helped the aunt configure her new blog. Our children had the best time playing with their great uncle and riding around in his little MGA. We shared good beer and good conversation. On the way back, we drove through Rocky Mountain National Park and the weather was perfect. What more could one want out of life?
So, in lieu of my whining, please enjoy these pictures.
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Adorable daughters and beautiful pictures! Thanks for sharing!
Great pictures! And thanks for such an excellent reminder – it’s easy to complain or feel down about one thing or another even when the bigger picture shows us we’ve got it pretty darn good. It’s definitely important to focus on all the things that are good, going right, and make us happy! Thanks again for a good read to brighten my Thursday.
Kali @CommonSenseMillennial recently posted…Learning To Do It Yourself: Home Edition
Thanks and glad you enjoyed!
Awww love these pictures! So cute.
Life is good. This is something that I have to constantly remind myself of.
Michelle recently posted…Minimalism 101: One Thing a Day
Loving the anti-rants. =)
Mrs. Pop @ Planting Our Pennies recently posted…PoP Balance Sheet – August 2013
1500!! Thanks for sharing your adorable and gorgeous pics! Avoiding negativity is admirable and even healthy, but channeled just the right way can be lots of fun. Especially if we are aware of it and can snap ourselves out of it relatively quickly and have a good laugh at ourselves. Have a sunny one!!!
cj recently posted…Speaking Your Language of Love
Thanks cj. I must strive to be more positive. Perhaps if I heard classical guitar every week (which always puts a smile on my face) I’d be in a happier place. I’m serious. YouTube Mr. CJ Hoombah?
Fun fact for you Mr. 1500 – Canadians have Labour Day too but we add an extra “U” in labour 😛
You’re daughters are too cute for real! I tend to be overly-negative doom and gloom too so this post is a nice reminder for me that Life is Good (most of the time) 😉
Girl Meets Debt recently posted…Go On, Treat Yourself (Without Busting the Budget)
LOL!! Bonus points for the extra “u”! Canadau is one of my favorite places, especially your neck of the woods on the West coast!
While I do love the rants, it was cool to see so many pictures and feel the good vibes this week! The little 1500s are adorable!
BrokeMillennial recently posted…Allow Me to Reintroduce Myself
Thanks! I don’t know where C and D get their looks from. Not me!
Thanks!
Yeah, imagine if you were born in a hell-hole like North Korea or Somalia or Afghanistan. Those of us born in a first world country already have won some sort of little lottery.
Thanks! Keep on telling me that and give me a swift kick in the nuts if I bitch too much!
You should have taught your girls how to swing a sledgehammer, it’ll be a very valuable skill. 😛
Micro recently posted…August Mission Briefing
LOL!!!! I don’t think they’d go for it, not in the slightest…
Ah, Mr. 1500! I too notice those negative things, and I think more people do than like to admit it. Even when I remind myself not to get peeved that 9 out of 12 people at a table in a restaurant are one their phones, I still get peeved. I try to turn it around. Sometimes it works, and sometimes I just let it fly. Poor CJ!
Thank you for being the one to say it and then lead us into a sunny reflection on what having a good life really means. So love the pics. What great photos of you all and the park. We hope to get back up that way one of these days…
Ahhh, phones at the restaurant. This one always cracks me up too. Isn’t the point of dinner with friends to enjoy the company> When we make it down to Houston, phones stay in the glove compartment.
Oh I think we can trust 1500s and Hoombahs not to do that. With fine company, who needs phones? Plus they’ll either get stolen or melt in a glove compartment in this city! 😉
Tammy R recently posted…Why You Ought to Consider a Cane
This one sends us through the roof too – can we manage to put down our phones for one simple 40 minute meal??
Laurie @thefrugalfarmer recently posted…How to Make Rabbits Stop Eating Your Garden
Yep, completely agreed. I really hate it at family gatherings. Hey uncle, I haven’t seen you in 3 years, but I guess your fart app is better than family conversation.
Ugh, I think we all go through these periods where we focus on what sucks about life, and then finally wake up and realize we’ve got it pretty damn good. I know I do. Good for you for realizing what a great life you have. 🙂
Laurie @thefrugalfarmer recently posted…How to Make Rabbits Stop Eating Your Garden
I hardly ever realize it though! I need to be better!
Yep, life is good. I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately. For me at least, it takes effort. My mind defaults to finding negativity. However, if I am conscious of it, I can tune my mind to do the opposite. It takes effort, but maybe if I do it enough, I can turn my brain around?
Yes, LIFE IS GOOD! And we so often (unfortunately) need to be reminded of that, as I was this morning when I read the obituary of a 32 year old local mother who lost her battle with leukemia, leaving behind her husband and 3 young daughters (8, 5, 3). Every day we are given, regardless of the hardships we endure, are a blessing and should be cherished. Here’s hoping we can all find the goodness in each and every day! Happy Friday!
Wow, that is flat out horrible. Ugggh. Poor kids.
I’ve often thought that I don’t care if I don’t live to a ripe old age, but I dread signing off before my kids turn 18.
Great to have found you Mr. 1500, love the pics and the blog. Nice to see treasured family time spent over the Labor Day Weekend. How bout them Broncos? Payton is the Man!
Jim recently posted…Even Buffett Digs Single Family Homes
Thank you Jim, really appreciate the kind comments!
Yeah, the Broncos killed it! Too early to start talking Superbowl? 🙂
It’s about time I crank out an anti-rant, thanks for sharing!
No Waste recently posted…Net WorThursday – August 2013