Becoming our father

Geeze! I've noticed as my brother and I get older, we've become more like our dad, in some ways.

I'm not saying that's a ghastly reality. Pop had some wonderful qualities. He liked to help people and often repaired items freely for many different folk. He was generous to a fault. His legacy to his family continues. He was a fairly social man and liked nothing better than hanging out with his friends.

But, he complained about everything; the government, the price of gas, food, utilities, the bad weather, people who sponged off the government, non-workers, ignorance, bad drivers, and the list was endless. Day after day, week after week, we were all treated to his tirade.

To give him credit, his comments were not nearly as inflammatory as what I read on Facebook. I find those very offensive and usually skip over them.

What is concerning is we now hear each other repeating the same complaints as our dad, same words, same sentences. And we have concluded that there was a great deal of truth in what he said. The apples certainly "did not fall far from the tree."

Mostly we limit our complaining to personal conversations while realizing how very fortunate we are in so many ways.

A friend, Mr. Tuttle, said that complaining can be about wishing life could be better for those around us. What a positive way to look at what is often thought of as negativity.

Tawni is a retired Linton-Stockton Elementary School teacher. She can be reached by email at tprudhomme@gmail.com.