One of my favorite holiday gifts to myself is renewing my subscription for XM satellite radio (hey, XM, if you’re reading this, how about a discount?). In between listening to baseball games and eclectic music channels, I sample the Oprah and Friends programming (hey, Oprah, you know you want to invite me onto the show!). I realize my listening to Oprah casts doubt on my machismo (did I say I tune in to LOTS of sports?), but that woman is one of my favorite media figures because she really does have her finger on the pulse of what matters to a lot of grown-ups.

Anyway (and I know you’re tired of the parentheticals), I recently heard this interview between Jean Chatzky and Will Bowen, the pastor of a Kansas City church who helped his congregants wrestle with their tendency to complain too much (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17362505/). He got them to wear purple bracelets to remind them not to speak crankily about what’s wrong with themselves, other people, the world at large. It wasn’t easy, not even for the pastor himself, but those congregants who stayed complaint-free for 21 days felt more positive about their lives.

Now, I have yet to try this, partly because I’m scared of what I would do with all the time I would save once complaining was removed from my life. Yet, it is something tempting. I do find that, although complaining and venting can relieve stress and sometimes lead to productive changes in ourselves and others, it keeps me in the bad mood I was kvetching about in the first place. So, I’m going to check out Bowen’s book (http://www.acomplaintfreeworld.org/) and see if I can’t get out of the vicious cycle. I don’t think I could ever be completely complaint free, but it just might lessen the negative load if I become more aware of it.