19 February 2007

I am not complaining

I am in the midst of a wacky church project. We are on a "complaint diet." We are trying to give up all complaining for 21 days straight.

At first, I didn't think it would be that hard. Then I found out that gossiping counted as complaining. Whoops.

To remind ourselves of this commitment, we are wearing blue rubber wristbands. If I want to complain, I have to move the wristband to my other arm to bring my attention to the fact that I am going to complain.

You know what this means, don't you? A knife through the heart of my blog.

First I decide I can't write about work. Then I determine that I should keep the family and friends talk to a minimum to avoid embarrassing anyone. I'm too shy to talk about sex. And now complaining is banned.

Aren't kittens wonderful? Aren't bunnies cute?

THIS IS KILLING ME.

I guess I will talk about memories for the next 3 weeks. Name a year after, oh, say 1968 and I will hit you with something from the Fascinating Life of Sueb0b.

Here's one: 1989 (I think).

My sister Laura and I are sitting in the front yard in downtown San Luis Obispo on a beautiful sunny day.

Two teen boys walk by, deep in conversation.

Boy 1: (fervently) "There was NO flying. There was NO hidden treasure."

Laura and I looked at each other.

And that, my friends, is one of my most cherished memories. To this day, when my sis and I ask each other how an event was, if it was less than fabulous, the other will say, "Well, there was no flying, there was no hidden treasure."

17 comments:

super des said...

Complain vicariously through me. I complain enough for the both of us, and then some.

Anonymous said...

Congrats on making a positive change, even for a little while.

Great memory.

Anonymous said...

I love how stuff like that seeps into our common history and becomes a catch phrase before we even knew what happened.

Thanks for that, I think this is really sweet. And I'll complain for you if you want.

Anonymous said...

I love that phrase. I think I will have to use it. "No flying, no hidden treasure."

I could never stop complaining for 21 days. My head would explode. You're a much better woman than me.

Kate said...

That's a great phrase! My husband and I have a similar one that we heard a young kid utter at the Bronx Zoo. He was caked in sticky ice cream on the front of his shirt, lumbering along with his younger brother, and what looked to be his grandmother. She was trying to coax them into seeing some more of the zoo, when he replied, "We've seen the waterfowl, we've seen it all." We thought that was so funny! So when we feel like we're "done" with something, we use that phrase as our reply.

Anonymous said...

I still feel sorry for him...

Anonymous said...

Hey, cheater-cheater pumpkin-eater, you're complaining about not complaining!

Since I didn't take the Vow of Stoicism, my complaint is that I didn't get to sit beside you and your sister and fold no flying/no hidden treasure into my speech. Alas, it's not too late and by dint of familiar distance, I too claim this perfect descriptor for an imperfect world.

claire said...

that's awesome. some of my friends and i used to use the Lewis Black: "If it weren't for my horse, i never would have made it through college" for non-sequitor announcements.

i love inside jokes.

Chicky Chicky Baby said...

No complaining? I think my head would implode if I tried to do that. Good luck!

LittlePea said...

To quit complaining would be the new frontier I've never even thought of exploring. Maybe I should try to. Seriously.

Bunnies and Kitties truly ARE wonderful.

Anonymous said...

Good luck with the not complaining thing. It sounds a lot easier than it is but 21 minutes should pass by quickly..
What the..I just checked the post. 21 days...are you insane..

Anonymous said...

I have an idea! You can write about me and how wonderful I am for 21 days!

rookiemom said...

I would explode into nothing if I couldn't utter a complaint for that long. I feel for ya.

So how about them bunnies and kitties, huh?

Anonymous said...

Bunnies are cute. But I think I'd be silent if I couldn't complain. Good luck, my sister.

SUEB0B said...

Holly, you are onto me. Dang!

Lady M said...

No complaining? Wow, that's one I'd have to think hard about every time I opened my mouth.

Karl said...

Seems to me you're complaining about not complaining. Poetic.

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