Good morning. I don’t think there could be more appropriate
words for me today than those expressed on that clip art, “A bad attitude is
like a flat tire; you can’t go anywhere until you change it.” My day got off to a rough start today, but
for really no particular reason. I woke up very early (2:45 a.m.) as usual to a
nice cool breeze blowing through the window. I was actually feeling refreshed
and ready to start the day. The coffee was already made and I sat down in the lazy
boy for some quiet time. However, it
seemed like things went downhill from there, and one irritation after another
threatened to ruin my day. The little, dumb things, you know….like the internet
going out; the cellphone not getting a signal so I couldn’t listen to the
voicemail that came in; the cat bugging me and causing me to lose some
information that I had typed; and so forth. Try as I may, these little
annoyances kept creeping in and little by little, I found my peaceful and
joyful spirit slowly turning into one of irritation. It continued on for the
next two hours….the sink wouldn’t drain; I dropped a carton of yogurt on my
foot causing it so splatter all over the rug AND my leg; I couldn’t find
something I needed; and then I went out to get the garbage from the garage and I
noticed that there was water running over the side of the pool, apparently
because of the heavy rain last night and yet another leak somewhere in the top
ring. Sigh….I guess it’s going to be “one
of those days”…….or is it?
I am a firm believer that our ATTITUDE and our thoughts can
determine the outcome of our day. How we
THINK determines how we ACT and BEHAVE, which in turn, determines the
results. I knew right then and there
that the day was off to a bad start and something needed to change or the
entire day would be a struggle, and that certainly wasn’t in my plans for the
day. I have a speaking engagement this afternoon and an icky attitude is
contagious and I surely don’t want to spread my irritability with my
co-workers, friends, or anyone I come in contact with this day. And so…. I recognized that…and did what always
works for me: I prayed and I began to give thanks: Thanks to God that the
weather last night didn’t damage anything more serious than to play havoc on
the internet and cellphone signal; Thanks that I have water in the first place when
so many in this world do not and that I was
able to unplug the sink simply by pulling the spoon out of the drain that had
accidentally fallen down there; Thanks that I discovered the Strawberry Cheesecake
yogurt that I really like and only has 80 calories and that it hit my bare leg
and NOT my favorite blue shoes; thanks that I discovered the pool issue before
the ENTIRE pool caved in AND that the heavy rain means I don’t have to water my
gardens tonight giving me an hour to take a bike ride; and mostly, Thanks that
God gives us chances to START ALL OVER each day….multiple times each day….even several
hours into the day!
And you know what????? It wasn’t very long before I could
feel my tension lift; my irritability turn to peacefulness; and the drained, stressed
expression on my face replaced with a smile. It’s all about our attitude……not
only in the day-to-day things that we must do….but in our efforts to change our
life. If we approach our journey with a bad attitude…..one of defeat (I’m just
going to gain it all back anyway….I’ve only EVER been able to go 3 days without
a cigarette….I’ll never be able to stick to it); deprivation (Why am I the only
one NOT eating birthday cake….Just one Margarita won’t hurt….It’s not fair that
I got the FAT genes); fear (What if I can’t
do it…..what if I fail AGAIN….what if I NEVER reach my goal) or doubt (I can’t
possibly lose 50 pounds; it’s too much….I’ve tried over and over and I never
could stick to it….I know I’ll just give up in a few weeks so why don’t I just
eat that cheeseburger and forget about it?) we will NEVER succeed.
Perhaps….a better
approach would be, “Thank you, God….for loving me in spite of my weaknesses and
flaws, for winning this battle already on the cross so that I may be free from
all that weighs me down, for assuring me that YOU are with me always and that I
don’t have to do this alone, for being strong when I am weak, and mostly, for
forgiving me when I fail to recognize how abundantly blessed I am and give in
to the annoyances that threaten my joy.”
It works for me every time! Hopefully, your day started out better than
mine, but if it didn’t, “It’s not too late to turn it around. That goes for
eating a donut or cookies for breakfast too. Start over….right now!!!!” MAKE it a good day today!
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