“Complaining is Not Conversation”’: Why Practicing Mindful Communication Matters

(Image: Mark Manson, 2017)

I woke up one grey Saturday morning with a brain full of disappointment and a general annoyance about everything. I knew that I had a ton of work to catch up on, bills to pay that I knew were late and about 4 more days until payday, all of the dirty laundry, about 34 emails waiting for a response, and to top it all off the sound of one of my beloved and mischievous cats knocking over all of the objects on the kitchen table to signal me that his food bowl was empty.

I rolled over and like most of us, picked up my phone and began chipping away at a mountain of Facebook, Instagram, and email notifications. As I laid there scrolling through my news feed, a message notification popped up from one of my dearest companions. It was a slam poem titled “Complainers” by Rudy Francisco. I had just told this person a few nights ago two very important facts about myself, facts you the reader should also know moving forward:

1. I can’t stand it when people complain.

2. I really love poetry.

Curious and excited, I started watching the video and got slapped in the heart with a serious dose of perspective with the following excerpt:

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