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Thursday Anti-Rant: Life is Still Good

September 5, 2013 by Mr. 1500 Days 29 Comments

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!

IMG_6093

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

 

IMG_6117IMG_6153IMG_2937IMG_2499

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Filed Under: Rants Tagged With: beer, friends, mga, rocky mountain national park

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. LifeorDebt says

    September 5, 2013 at 1:14 pm

    Adorable daughters and beautiful pictures! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  2. Kali @CommonSenseMillennial says

    September 5, 2013 at 1:48 pm

    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

    Reply
    • 1500 says

      September 6, 2013 at 2:46 am

      Thanks and glad you enjoyed!

      Reply
  3. Michelle says

    September 5, 2013 at 3:06 pm

    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 DayMy Profile

    Reply
  4. Mrs. Pop @ Planting Our Pennies says

    September 5, 2013 at 4:25 pm

    Loving the anti-rants. =)
    Mrs. Pop @ Planting Our Pennies recently posted…PoP Balance Sheet – August 2013My Profile

    Reply
  5. cj says

    September 5, 2013 at 1:42 pm

    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

    Reply
    • 1500 says

      September 6, 2013 at 2:49 am

      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?

      Reply
  6. Girl Meets Debt says

    September 5, 2013 at 3:53 pm

    Fun fact for you Mr. 1500 – Canadians have Labour Day too but we add an extra “U” in labour ๐Ÿ˜›
    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) ๐Ÿ˜‰
    Girl Meets Debt recently posted…Go On, Treat Yourself (Without Busting the Budget)My Profile

    Reply
    • 1500 says

      September 6, 2013 at 2:45 am

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

      Reply
  7. BrokeMillennial says

    September 6, 2013 at 2:27 am

    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 MyselfMy Profile

    Reply
    • 1500 says

      September 6, 2013 at 2:42 am

      Thanks! I don’t know where C and D get their looks from. Not me!

      Reply
  8. 1500 says

    September 6, 2013 at 2:44 am

    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.

    Reply
  9. 1500 says

    September 6, 2013 at 2:44 am

    Thanks! Keep on telling me that and give me a swift kick in the nuts if I bitch too much!

    Reply
  10. Micro says

    September 5, 2013 at 11:12 pm

    You should have taught your girls how to swing a sledgehammer, it’ll be a very valuable skill. ๐Ÿ˜›
    Micro recently posted…August Mission BriefingMy Profile

    Reply
    • 1500 says

      September 6, 2013 at 2:42 am

      LOL!!!! I don’t think they’d go for it, not in the slightest…

      Reply
  11. Tammy R says

    September 6, 2013 at 2:36 am

    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…

    Reply
    • 1500 says

      September 6, 2013 at 2:41 am

      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.

      Reply
      • Tammy R says

        September 6, 2013 at 2:51 am

        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! ๐Ÿ˜‰
        Tammy R recently posted…Why You Ought to Consider a CaneMy Profile

        Reply
        • Laurie @thefrugalfarmer says

          September 6, 2013 at 12:27 pm

          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 GardenMy Profile

          Reply
          • 1500 says

            September 7, 2013 at 4:13 am

            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.

  12. Laurie @thefrugalfarmer says

    September 6, 2013 at 12:26 pm

    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. ๐Ÿ™‚
    Laurie @thefrugalfarmer recently posted…How to Make Rabbits Stop Eating Your GardenMy Profile

    Reply
    • 1500 says

      September 6, 2013 at 1:17 pm

      I hardly ever realize it though! I need to be better!

      Reply
    • 1500 says

      September 7, 2013 at 4:15 am

      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?

      Reply
  13. SusieQ says

    September 6, 2013 at 6:41 pm

    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!

    Reply
    • 1500 says

      September 7, 2013 at 4:10 am

      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.

      Reply
  14. Jim says

    September 6, 2013 at 8:35 pm

    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 HomesMy Profile

    Reply
    • 1500 says

      September 7, 2013 at 4:08 am

      Thank you Jim, really appreciate the kind comments!

      Yeah, the Broncos killed it! Too early to start talking Superbowl? ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
  15. No Waste says

    September 6, 2013 at 5:53 pm

    It’s about time I crank out an anti-rant, thanks for sharing!
    No Waste recently posted…Net WorThursday – August 2013My Profile

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Gratitude: Great Reads for the Week Ending 9-6-13 - The Frugal Farmer says:
    September 7, 2013 at 12:48 pm

    […] the farm has been more work than I ever imagined it would in my wildest dreams.ย  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 […]

    Reply

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