1500 Days to Freedom

Think different and escape the rat race.

Thursday Anti-Rant: Life is Still Good

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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.

Hula hoopers
Hula hoops. Who knew $4 could make a kid so happy?
I want to drive!
I want to drive!

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Me and Big C!
Self portrait with the biggest little 1500!

 

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Comments

  2. 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 EditionMy Profile

  5. 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 LoveMy Profile

    • 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?

  6. 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)My Profile

    • LOL!! Bonus points for the extra “u”! Canadau is one of my favorite places, especially your neck of the woods on the West coast!

  8. 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.

  11. 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…

    • 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?

  13. 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.

    • Thank you Jim, really appreciate the kind comments!

      Yeah, the Broncos killed it! Too early to start talking Superbowl? 🙂

Trackbacks

  1. […] the farm has been more work than I ever imagined it would in my wildest dreams.  But then I read Mr. 1500′s anti-rant, and after thinking it over, I realized it’s also likely been the most fulfilling year […]