It’s always possible I’m imagining things, which would be nice, but it seems to me there is a whole lot of complaining going on these days. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been known to hang in the big leagues of the complaint department. And I can write a first class complaint letter if I think it will accomplish something. I’m talking about those people complaining on the internet. No, not the forum folks, I don’t spend any time there anymore and didn’t pay much attention to the clatter when I did. I’m talking about people writing long essays complaining about everything there is to complain about under the sun, without offering one single solution. And it’s not like the things they are complaining about are new. If you don’t believe me, listen to one of my favorite songs of all time: BALL OF CONFUSION, by The Temptations. A song that first came out in 1970 – 43 years ago. If anyone is going to complain they should do it with the style of The Temptations, because even when they are complaining they balance it out with appreciation. Take a listen if you have the time:

So, it should be clear by now, I’m here to complain about the complainers. If you have never noticed the small tagline by Voltaire in the footer of this blog it states, “Appreciation is a wonderful thing: it makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.” There is a lot to complain about; no one can deny that. But this is not something new. It seems to me there is also a lot to be appreciated that is going unwritten about or worse, unnoticed.

Some subjects you’d think would be fair game for complaining. Like snoring. I once shared a room with a man that I believe weighed well over 350 lbs at a convention in San Diego. That ranks up there as one of the most miserable experiences of my life – even with room service.  But usually if someone is snoring there is a solution: an elbow to the back, a pillow or a late night snack. To be perfectly candid, I appreciate the sound of my wife snoring. Of course, she snores like a purring kitten and I am smart enough not to ask if the feeling is reciprocal.

In eight days time, Thailand Footprint will have its 6 month anniversary of being born online. Everything starts with an idea. Next week I will write about how the idea was conceived, how it evolved and the many people that helped deliver it. In other words, I am going to take the time to appreciate and show my gratitude to the many people that helped me with this, a simple blog. It’s kind of amazing, to me anyway, just how many people it involved. I hope you find it interesting. If you don’t, well, you can always complain. For me, writing this blog, in a very small way, is just one less thing I am guilty of not doing.