I wanted to write about how upset I am over gas prices, or my concern over the economy. I'm also upset about the situation with health coverage in this country, and don't even get me started on political commercials.

I was thinking of all these things when I saw a news story about a pastor who was teaching his congregation about the negative influence of complaining. The congregation uses purple wrist bands to remind themselves to stop complaining. The band is first put on the right wrist, but if you complain it is moved to the left wrist, and if you complain again it is moved back to the right wrist. The object is to keep the band on the same wrist for 21 days in a row. The idea has caught on so well that it is now a lucrative business for the church who has sent out over one million wrist bands, t-shirts, and other novelties to promote the idea.

The reality is that complaining does us more harm than good. Granted, complaining is warranted under some circumstances, such as at a business that takes advantage of us to their own profit. However, much of the time we gripe just because we can, and it causes us stress, headaches, consternation, and eventually the affects the company of those who try to love us in spite of ourselves. Lets consider the possibility that we may be more happy, content, and satisfied with life if we complain about it less. Maybe even sending for a purple wrist band isn't such a bad idea.