Raea moved in next door when we were in sixth grade. Our school bus stop was four blocks away. Far enough for a long sprint if we were late. Far enough for a long conversation if we were on time. During one of these walks, we proposed a challenge to not complain. About anything. If one of us complained, we would stop the other person. If there was something to complain about, we either changed our perspective or advocated for ourselves through words and actions. It was productive and something we stuck to for all the years after. A mature outlook for two twelve year olds who were still learning how to swim in this big ole world.
A lot of the times when I want to complain about this or that, it dissolves into a golden memory of our walks to and from the bus stop. I forget about this or that and walk away smiling.
