Call me lazy, but I gave myself a week off for a bit of surgery. It also gave me time to reassess “attitude”, which is not a big thing, it’s Everything!
It made me remember Florence, who was in the hospital room across from my Dad. When I once heard her call out, I went across the hall to see if there was anything I could do. As I entered the room, and she recognized I wasn’t the nurse, her expression changed from distraught to welcoming. She immediately put aside her issues and inquired about my Dad. She was determined not to spoil anyone else’s day. “I learned a long time ago,” she said, “that people have enough of their own troubles. They really don’t want to be burdened with any more.”
Like Florence, every time we wake up and face a new day, we each have a choice to make. We can decide to make it a terrible day, a so-so day, or a great day. The choice is really belongs to each of us.
This can sound like a platitude, but it is largely true. Of course, there are certain days, like those when you have a kidney stone, when immediate issues can suddenly overwhelm any mindset. For most of us, however, those days are few and far between.
Yesterday, when the lack of any available parking place at the doctor’s office started making me furious, I suddenly realized how foolish my behavior had become. Hitting the mental reset button, I forced myself to decide to have a good day. The timing could not have been better. When I turned too quickly in my own drive coming home, and dented the passenger door against a cement post, I surprised myself that I was able to cope with the event calmly and rationally. Compared to EKG’s and cancer cells, dents are nothing!
What is wonderful about an upbeat attitude is that it is infectious. Seeing that glass not only half filled, but sparkling, not only lifts your own boat, but the boat of everyone else you encounter. We all recognize this truth. We have all experienced the impact. But it does take a constant determination to make it happen, every time you greet a new day.
If you interested, I found some additional tips on attitude at recoverymedicine.com.
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