Minus 10 Complaining Comments

No one in my home knows how to properly fold a towel and place it back neatly on the towel bar.

My oldest daughter brushes her teeth and always leaves a glob of toothpaste at the bottom of the sink. Always.

We're required to park on the far side of the lot at work, but the part-time intern takes the prime spot by the door. Every single day.

My co-worker comes to work and shuts the closet door in such a way that half the arm of his coat is sticking out.

People come in to the office to fill out paperwork and they just grab my pen on my desk - without asking.

When my boyfriend talks on the phone he has no problem sitting right next to me to talk... loudly... even if I'm watching a really good tv show.

My brother is living with the girl who only cheated on him twice.

These things bother me. Upset me. Irk me. Make me mad. I don't understand the why behind such actions. To me, it's so unbelievably simple and obvious and, well, logical. Hang up the towel so it not only looks nice but dries properly. Wipe out the sink when you're done or use less toothpaste. Park where you're supposed to. Make sure nothing is sticking out of the door when you close it. Ask before taking. Have your private conversation out of earshot. Cheating is not allowed.

These are my issues. I know they are. I complain, yell, plead, rant and make sarcastic comments like, "Oh, I saw this look in a Home & Gardens magazine; everyone hangs their towels this way. It's the new look of the elite." Yet nothing changes. Because these are my issues.

I'm positive I do things that bother other people. I know this because I've heard it. Funny thing, though, I don't change because I'm okay with the way I am and I'm quick to point this out. "Maybe you don't like the seventeen books piled up on the bed stand, so what? It's my bed stand!"

See, I'm actually upset that you said something to me... not that you might not like my books. Because when you said something it felt like you were judging me and that hurt.

Wouldn't it make sense then that when I complain, yell, plead, rant and make comments that it hurts the feelings of others? That they would (rightfully) feel I was judging them?

This week's challenge is to Minus Ten Complaining Comments and replace them with biting your tongue. Look, it just doesn't need to be said. Those pet peeves might 'bother' you but they don't 'hurt' you. There's a big difference in those two words.

After you're done biting your tongue - take it a step further and find a positive about the situation. Here's what I know:

I'm lucky the towels find their way up to the towel bars. A lot of people struggle with getting them off the floor.

My oldest daughter has a beautiful smile. Her teeth are gorgeous! She takes care of them and I appreciate that.

I get more exercise parking farther away. In fact, it wouldn't hurt if I parked across the street.

The coat looks way more professional sticking out of our back closet than hanging off the back of his chair or dumped in a corner of his cubicle. There actually are worse places for it to be.

At least the paperwork is getting filled out in front of me. I can easily see if any information is missing and let the applicant know right away.

I have a boyfriend who feels completely open having a conversation with his friends while sitting right next to me. No hiding out in the other room, or walking outside. I don't have to worry.

My brother is forgiving. That's a pretty decent quality to possess. (Much better than my getting upset over a towel not hung to my standards.)