WHINING

What is it about whining that some people just can't do without? For instance, a couple of weeks ago I was at lunch with a the wife type at a Chinese buffet that had recently opened in town. I mostly wanted to check it out, and it was on our way. As a pleasant surprise it was a great Chinese buffet. We both liked it. Granted that's like saying, “He's the most honest politician around.” But, as Chinese buffets go it is the best I've been to for along time.


Fast forward to last night. I'm at dinner with my wife, and another couple. So I'm telling the other couple about this place, and I get to the part where they actually have a sushi chef on a buffet station making sushi in front of you, and it's not bad. I mean it's not great sushi, but it is great Chinese buffet sushi. Well, the wife launches into this whiny diatribe about how there's no selection, and the pieces are very small etc. Now I'm not saying that she said anything untrue in her whining but I think she lost sight of the fact that she was at a Chinese buffet. If you want an endless supply of fresh made to order sushi you have to go to a sushi bar and spend ten times the money. But for an 8 buck buffet it's darn good sushi. So what did she get from whining? I have no idea, but she seems to have to do an awful lot of it.


Now I'm tempted to pass this off as a PMS thing, or a female thing, but the reality is that we've all known people like this of both genders. I just don't get it. I have rarely known of a situation that can be improved by whining, but every time someone whines in my presence it annoys the heck out of me. It's so bad that I have instituted a no whining zone with my nephews and 'little' brother. The rule is that if you are in range of my ears you are in a no whining zone. So I guess it's a misery loves company thing. Problem is I can't see what everyone has to be so whiny about. I guess it's the old glass half full vs glass half empty thing. It's in our basic nature that we be one or the other, and being a glass half full guy I just don't understand those glass half empty people.


I'm guessing it comes down to a gratitude issue. You see I'm actually grateful that I wake up on this side of the dirt every morning. Compared to that tiny pieces of a small selection of sushi is heaven. But regardless, what is gained by whining? I wish you whiners would just ask yourself that questions before you launch into your diatribes sometimes. I bet you'll find that 90 plus percent of the time the answer is, “Nothing.” And, I can tell you one benefit of NOT whining – I won't as my mom used to say want to, “Give you a reason to whine.” And, trust me my mom wasn't bluffing. Those hot wheel tracks give good spankings.