I find it so interesting that the Yiddish word “kvetch” is both a verb and noun. Perhaps a chronic activity like complaining, which is what a kvetch does, morphed into being a ” thing?”
The sage Ben Zoma declared in Pirkei Avot, Ethics of our Fathers, “Who is rich? One who is happy with his lot.” He appreciates what he has and is content, and thus has no thought to kvetch.
The flip side of this statement would logically be, “Who is poor? One who is unhappy with his lot.”
The Gemara suggests that the term “death” in the Torah could refer to situations where one can be considered as dead – a poor person; a blind person; someone who suffers from Biblical leprosy, and someone childless.
The “poor” kvetch is technically alive, but dead inside. We are admonished to live our lives, b’simcha – in joy. But kvetches wallow in misery, because they have no hakarat hatov, no recognition of the chesed Hashem has bestowed on them.
As a person who has been told “You have cancer” three times and endured two stem cell transplants, I learned not to “sweat the small stuff.” Not even kvetch some of the big stuff.
Me kvetch because I have to interrupt my sweet sleep during the night to use the bathroom? No way! I’m very content that I CAN get out of bed, and “do what I need to do.” I actually am one rich lady!