Could I Have Cheese With That Whine?
I just finished Laura Hillenbrand's Unbroken. The woman really does her research, that's for sure. (She also wrote Seabiscuit, and although I adore the movie, I've never read the book.) If you haven't read it, do so before you watch the movie. I know the film couldn't cover everything in the book, and it's worth the anguish you'll experience as you read Louie Zamperini's account of getting shot down, surviving for over forty days on a raft with no food and little water, getting captured by the Japanese troops and surviving unbelievably bad treatment in a Japanese POW camp.
In my mind, most people are either whiners or sloggers. There are people who complain about what they don't have. They grouse about their job. They whine about their lot in life. At least they are alive, they have a job and there is always someone who was born into a worse situation.
Sloggers keep plugging along. They might be moving at a slow pace. They might have trouble sometimes just putting one foot in front of the other. But they keep moving forward.
What do you do when you're stuck with a whiner or you encounter one? Impatient minds want to know...
I just finished it. Dang, do I feel like a wimp.
ReplyDeleteJoeh--I'm right with ya! Nothing I've dealt with is even in the same category as what Louie survived...
DeleteA race horse survived all that? Wait, what? Oh, a man. Gotcha.
ReplyDeleteThere are a lot of whiners where i work, and when they get on my nerves, i do my crying baby imitation, which i do quite well. I can't stand whiners. Venting is fine, but whining not so much.
Shay--In my mind, I play a miniature violin...
DeleteI keep hearing how good that one is, but I'm afraid I'm too wimpy to read it. I'm with Fireblossom when it comes to venters vs. whiners. When the former wanders over into the latter category, I've found giving advice works wonders. Especially recommending a professional.
ReplyDeleteTammy--Some whiners make me want to volunteer to be their "professional." It IS really good, and--I think--worth the parts that made me cringe.
DeleteI try to be patient with whiners because I know how easy it is to be one. I hope others will be patient with me when I whine!!!!
ReplyDeleteYes, excellent book. So big but you want to stick with it. What is next in your queue...this one will be hard to follow!
Claudia--Jodi Picoult's newest book is next on my list. I got it for myself before Christmas hit, and finally have an opening to read it.
DeleteWhiner here. I don't feel qualified to answer. Guess you'll have to rely on those people who encounter me.
ReplyDeleteVal--You, a whiner? I doubt it.
DeleteWhen I was a Girl Scout leader (don't laugh--I was) I had two rules: No throwing up in Ms. Cathy's car and No whining. (Coincidentally, my house rules). They worked amazingly well. (The other leader did NOT have those rules, and yep, girls threw up in her car. Twice. Probably whined about it, too.)
ReplyDeleteMake a rule, Sioux. (I have run into my all grown up GS, btw, and before they even say hello, they'll recite the rules. Oh, how I love a good rule or two.) :-)
Cathy--Wow! You sound like an amazing GS leader. I made similar requirements known when I drove around Boy Scouts... but they involved eating anything that was likely to produce gas, and the necessity of a shower...
DeleteI once worked with a woman who would respond to a whiner by saying "Wah, wah, little man," regardless of who she was talking to. Now I say that line in my head. Somehow, it soothes me..
ReplyDeleteMary--I imagine lots of people will now be saying, "Wah, wah, little man" now. It DOES sound soothing...
DeleteI'm still reading Unbroken, and I have to admit some of the passages are very difficult for me to handle. I don't plan to see the movie. If even half of what I'm reading is portrayed on the screen in living color complete with sound effects...no thanks.
ReplyDeletePat
Critter Alley
My husband read the book some time ago and has encouraged me to read it, which I plan to do as a treat to myself when I finish writing my WIP. I don't have much patience for whiners, even when I'm the one whining. And conversations with my kids used to go like this when they started whining.
ReplyDeleteMe: "You're whining. What do you get when you whine?"
Spawn: *sniffle, snuffle* "Nothing."
Me: "That's right. So why are you whining?"
Spawn: *sniffle, snuffle* "I don't know."
That usually ended it. :) Now when adults start in---avoidance at all costs!