Misery loves company?

Why does it seem like it's more common and socially acceptable to mope around saying "fuck my life" and complaining than it is to express gratitude and celebrate life?

I'm fortunate to say that I have been on both sides of this coin. And I recognize that my perception of what seems common and socially acceptable may be influenced by my own comfort/discomfort in expressing myself. 

I have been thinking a lot lately about how to express my gratitude though. Why don't I know how to express gratitude?  Sure, I can say "thank you!" But this does not come close to conveying the depth of the feeling I have. I guess I can say, "I am so grateful...".  But this too doesn't quite seem to be enough. Gifts? No. Cards? No. Ummm. I got nothing. 

Through discussions about this, I've been given the suggestion to say what I can say ("thank you", "I am so grateful"...) but even more powerful is to pay it forward. What I mean by pay it forward is... to think about the things that I am so grateful for and do what I can to provide the same for other people. While I still feel like this doesn't quite give the credit due for what I feel, I do think it is a powerful way to fully appreciate the level of gratitude inside of me. 

I have also been thinking about how to express my excitement about my life "politely".  I have been conditioned to feel like this kind of expression is considered bragging, or makes me conceited, or inconsiderate of other peoples' situations. Yet, I don't worry about the same sorts of things when it comes to complaining or being down on myself. For this reason, I tend to downplay things I have going on in my life. While I am rather humble by nature, I find myself at times consciously keeping exciting news about myself to myself. 

I also recognize that my perceptions are fed by my experiences and are not true for everyone. I have had a lot of different experiences though, and while this seems to be true a lot of the time, it is certainly not true all of the time. What I have found is that the more I express whatever it is that I am feeling - positive or negative - I am able to evaluate the social situations I put myself in; and which ones I prefer and which I don't. From there I can begin to craft a social life that is supportive and equally celebratory. 

Now, I get that crafting a new social life, if desired, is not an easy thing to do. It is possible though. Read a little bit about how to find your tribe and how to handle it when the people in your life don't get you.

It seems we live in a culture that thrives on negativity - from what is covered in the news, to how common gossip is, to the reality that the cliche saying even exists - "misery loves company". And how about the fact that most people are more comfortable viewing media showing murder and rape than they are breast-feeding and sex for pleasure? Don't get me started.. that is a whole different story for another day!

My point is, I would love it if more people got on board with expressing gratitude and celebrating life.  I suppose the social media trends of 100 days of happiness and gratitude challenges are a start but why not challenge yourself and others to find happiness and gratitude in ALL of the days?