Look on the Bright Side

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When I was younger, I fell victim to "bad days" all too often. I blame it on my first grade teacher reading Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day one too many times; I was convinced that even the slightest toe stump meant I was doomed for a day of mishaps. I'd complain to my parents of my "bad luck", usually falling victim to incidents that were nothing more than accidents (and often my own fault). 

I got better about the Negative Nancy mentality as I got older, but it wasn't until I met my best friend in college, Brittney Granger, that I decided there is no such thing as a "bad day". No matter what happened to my Beanie (our nickname for our golf teammates), she chose to look on the bright side. You know, cup half full kind of gal. Brittney had this ability to laugh off any poor situation and always take something positive from it. Every time I would call her in hysterics, freaking out for no good reason, she would calmly tell me "Everything's going to be okay". And she was right.

One day last year, I lost my wallet. And then ran out of gas. And then completely forgot Bear's docors appointment. All in the same afternoon.
Not very long ago, I would've been down in the dumps and complained to my friends about my lack of good luck. But you know what? The wallet issue was resolved. A friend brought me some gasoline. Bear's appointment was rescheduled for the next day. And I still got to go home that night and eat supper with my boys, which is my favorite part of the day. Every time I started to feel the self pity kick in, I would remind myself that someone out there was having a worse day than me. Looking back at those things now, that seemed so huge at the time, they are almost (almost) laughable. Having a child has changed my attitude as well, because I realize now that Bear's behavior is often a direct reflection of my own. If I'm unhappy and sulking, he's likely to do, and even feel, the same. That's the last thing in the world that I want; I need to be strong so that Bear can stay the happy, sweet little boy that he is. And if I ever find out about his first grade teacher reading that Alexander book... let's just hope he takes after his easy-going Daddy.

There is always, always something to be thankful for. A silver lining, if you will. Even when it feels like you've hit rock bottom, realize that things can only go up from there. Instead of wallowing in self pity (talking to myself here), do something for someone else. They got your order wrong at Taco Bell? You hate lettuce and onions? Give it to the homeless guy by the stoplight. Even if the mistake messed up your day just a little, chances are you'll make his day a lot better. And you'll cheer up knowing that you helped someone, rather than focusing on those nasty onions.

I'm going to take my own advice and start this week out on a positive note; I'd love to send a little something to the first three of you that comment below! Tell me what cheers you up when you're feeling down, and how you stay positive during those less than stellar days. Don't forget to include your email and I'll be in touch right away for your address :).

Hope you had a great weekend, full of nothing but good days!
xo, Britt