So many things that happen in everyday life can be irritating and can bring out negative feelings that make our lives unpleasant, when they need not be so.  Small things, when ruminated about, can become huge in our minds and make our mood go downhill fast. But this need not happen. We can choose to see these situations as merely inconveniences.

I saw a movie many years ago in which two of the characters were working in a kitchen.  One of them, a younger man, was complaining incessantly about having to eat the same food all the time.  He complained about the fact that they always had to eat leftovers. The older man, who was just happy to have a job that fed him, told the young man that what he was complaining about was just an inconvenience.  This wiser man pointed out the fact that they were able to eat for free, and that he was grateful. It struck me as being very wise. And I have remembered it many times when I have felt ungrateful and have been tempted to complain about something mundane.

It’s part of human nature to fall into these traps and make too much of an inconvenience and turn it into a major complaint.  This magnification of small inconveniences, makes a problem out of nothing. And this outlook does nothing good for any of us. Furthermore, it creates a negative atmosphere whenever it happens.  There are more than enough real problems that present themselves in our daily lives that demand our attention. We need not add to them.

I have a problem with this tendency as much as anyone else.  But it occurs to me, that even a small shift in attitude could eliminate this negative energy, or at least lessen it.  I think that I will try to introduce a small habit into my life that may improve the quality of my life. I will start to ask myself, “Is this merely an inconvenience?”  whenever I encounter an irritation that seems to be taking on a life of its own. Then maybe, I will be able to concentrate on solving real problems, and not dwell on something that is just an inconvenience.