I listened to my friend as she railed.  Complained. Yes – whined.  And expressed anger at the utter unfairness of it all.  What was she talking about?  The Weather.   It’s backwards!  It’s all wrong!  It’s not fair!

Across the world people are encountering weather patterns way off the grid of what is regionally normal.  Here in the pacific northwest we are used to our hot august days.  As I write this I see dried, fallen leaves scattering the ground.  The trees are responding the their natural patterns and everything in their experience is telling them it’s October, not August.  So they are already dropping their leaves.  The farmer’s at the market are financially impacted and puzzled.  Their growing season plans are now thwarted the second year in a row.  They apologize for the “unseasonable” produce that is available and yes, they complain.

Me?  I’ll admit a fondness for complaining as well.  Yes, Indeed.  Just this morning I was complaining that a favorite friend of mine who is a principal of a grade school has to take money from her personal household savings account to pay for personal development materials for her teachers. No money for skill enhancement for her teachers. And if she wants to encourage, support, uplift or inspire her staff in any way – the resources come from her own pocket.  Nothing in the budget for such things.  The weather?  I rarely complain about the weather.  Honest.  Hardly ever.   Principals who don’t have the resources to support their staff facing increasing cuts to an already slim budget.  THAT I complain about.  And I try to follow this guidline:  If I invest my energy in a complaint and I ask someone in my field of view to LISTEN to what I’m complaining about – I have to partner the complaint with a positive action.  So I am going to tell you this:  In addition to the support material which this principal has paid me as a working artist to make for her – I am giving her enough cards to send to each of her teachers once a month for the school year, a gift for each teacher at their birthday and some odd little reinforcement gifts.  This is material I have that I will give to her absent a line item in her budget to allow for the graces that make the arduous work of teaching a little sweeter.

Have you complained recently about the educational budget crisis?  Have you thanked a teacher lately?

Have you complained about the weather?  Ah, my reader-friend, if you are one whose home has been washed away or blown away – that is indeed worthy of the energy of a complaint.  If you are too hot or too cold – consider the grace that you have to address the condition with right clothing and electronic support (A/c or heaters)!  And focus your view on things that you can actually DO something about.

The weather may be backwards where you are but your point of view can be put on straight ways.