Thursday, January 17, 2008
Counting Blessings
| That's what I did as I walked into my office today. I was not having a good morning. It started with nearly losing control of my car on an icy road before I even got out of my neighborhood. When I got to the gym to swim my laps, I realized I had forgotten my towel, and they don't provide any. After my swim, since I didn't have a towel to wrap up in, I took my underwear into the shower with me, where a stream of water spouted out of the top of the shower head and directly onto said underwear, thoroughly soaking them before I realized what was happening. NOT a good way to start the day. Add to that a complete lack of coordination that caused me to keep dropping things, and you can imagine that I was pretty frustrated by the time I arrived at work. Crossing the parking lot to my office building, I fumbled and dropped my bag as I tried to put my car keys away. Standing there, staring down at my bag on the ground and thinking, "Of course!" I realized I had a choice to make. I could either make up my mind that the universe was out to get me, feel sorry for myself, and go around being grumpy and miserable for the rest of my day; or I could shrug it off and count my blessings. There have been plenty of days when I chose the former. But today, as I picked up my bag, I decided to be grateful that I had a bag to drop. That I had a good job to go to. That I had a free gym membership through said job, and that I made it there safely on icy roads. That none of the things I'd dropped that morning had broken. That an astute co-worker who was also at the gym suggested putting my underwear in the dry sauna to dry out while I did my hair and makeup. That I had a heavy coat to keep me warm on a freezing morning. Once I got going, I realized that the list was almost endless, and that God had taken pretty good care of me. That put my still slightly damp skivvies into perspective and caused my outlook to do a one-eighty. It can be so easy to let little things get you down; but if you think about it, chances are you'll remember a lot of good things in your life, both big and little, to be grateful for. Dwelling on those things can do amazing things for your state of mind. Happiness is determined by what you choose to dwell on. Everybody has bad stuff going on, but it's generally those who have a spirit of thanksgiving who tend to be the most content. What do you have to be thankful for today? Labels: mental health |
Great post. Great choice to take that attitude. It is one I make every day, and it has made a huge difference in my life. I think maybe we could be friends...!
TM
It's definitely the best way I know of to pick myself up out of a funk.
I checked out your Etsy store while I was on your blog earlier. Your cards are gorgeous. I'm jealous. I don't have the time or patience for paper craft.