“It’s very hot in here,” an Englishman told his teenage daughter when sitting near me on the bus on a summer afternoon in London.
It was 30 minutes of travel with her mother complaining. “How absurd to have no air conditioning”; “Why is traffic at this time?” (had no traffic jam); “Your father’s family is no good.”
At the end of a long winter, in an incredible city, with extremely efficient public transport, there she was complaining about the 25 -degree life and heat.
The calm daughter tried to calm her beast. Not just because it is emotionally more mature, but I imagine that by instinct. It is unbearable to live with those who are always dissatisfied.
Not that it is prohibited to express frustrations. The world is full of situations and people who take us seriously. It would be more pleasant if the bus was air conditioned. But perhaps because it is from a country where public transport is generally bad, I would never criticize London’s occasional and silent buses. I have done an internal exercise, including to complain less and less.
Excessive comfort is a disease of modern life. We are dependent on houses and cars with air conditioning, food delivered to our door, escalator, elevator, streaming. If something does not leave exactly as we would like, we are dissatisfied, putting our happiness in the hands of the other. If we expect everything to always be as we would like, we will live frustrated.
I believe that a very efficient way to reduce this dependence and relativize my view of the world is through sports – which I practice and those I watch.
Physical exercise is an intentional way of going through discomfort. Outdoors, even more. You have to face heat, cold, sun, rain, wind, snow. Resisting is worse.
Athletes are also my inspiration. Resilience above the complaint. There is discipline, effort in training, I know how much you give up a medal, a achievement, or improve every day.
One reporter once asked Surfer Stephanie Gilmore if she was not tired of traveling so much by plane to compete. The Australian answered, smiling, “If you take me where I want to go, it’s all right.” Since I saw the interview, I think equally. If a plane takes me safely where I want to go, how will I complain?
On Thursday (17), the day after the bus scene, he knew with sadness of the death of Austrian Felix Baumgartner in a paragliding accident in Italy. In 2012, the skydiver became the first person to jump from the stratosphere, breaking the free fall barrier. I was so impressed that interviewing it became almost obsession.
The following year, Baumgartner jumped from the base jump of Christ the Redeemer. Finally I met him, and we made a report to SporTV. I was delighted to see him talk quietly about everything that went on to get the feat. Nothing looked like a burden, on the contrary.
On Sunday (19), I will make a half marathon. For several reasons, I did not prepare as I would like, it will be hotter than expected. It was a few years ago, I would piss off if I crossed the finish line in a while above the planned. This time, I promised myself that the important thing is to end. I will be satisfied regardless of what the clock points out. And without complaining.
Gift Link: Did you like this text? Subscriber can release seven free hits from any link per day. Just click on F Blue below.
