One of my family members is an old dog. When I say old, please refer to the definition of "ancient" in the dictionary. That's my dog. If he was a human, he would be 105.
Now, I love my dog very much. He was my first baby after all. But, I'm the first to admit that, in his old age, he has become a bit annoying. Think ornery old man. That's my wiener dog.
He whines to be let out--which he promptly forgets he has done and whines to be let out again in 10 minutes. He whines for food--soft please, because all of his teeth have fallen out. He whines because the soft dog food isn't good enough. He wants people food. Now. And on, and on, and on.
There are times when I think how wonderful it would be if he would just stop whining all the freakn' time. But then, I think about what that would mean, and I decide a few annoying minutes of whining multiple times per day is much better for my emotional well-being than the alternative.
I TRY to use that same thought process with other annoyances I encounter during the day. If I get annoyed, I remember the alternative. Am I perfect with this? Heck no! Does it always help to think of the alternative? Nope. Sometimes annoying is just annoying. But, by trying to put things into perspective, my life usually becomes a little better place to be.
“It is not the place, not the condition, but the mind alone that can make anyone happy or miserable.”
L. Estrange
“We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same.”
Carlos Casteneda
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