I was having a pretty good week. I was feeling so triumphant for silly little reasons – I caught up on the laundry (if only for one day!), I secured all of the back to school supplies on both of my boys’ lists (yes – I know it’s only July, but ladies if you wait too long, trust me – the glue sticks will be gone!), and every single night at dinner time, there were no complaints about what I served – amazing!
I was also feeling so triumphant for a few big reasons. All of the details have been taken care of for three bathroom renovations! Work starts on Monday. And perhaps, most important of all, all of the details have been taken care of for one overnight trip, one long weekend trip, and one week-long vacation. This is huge for us, as we have not been able to take a vacation for three years due to many health issues.
And then, I encountered a few very unhappy people who seemed determined to rain on our parade. These are people we are connected to, but who are the glass is always half empty, there is no joy in the world, types who have an uncanny ability to spread their misery at the worst possible times. And, the things that cause them to be miserable, are things that make us say “are you kidding me?” and “really?” They have a knack for making mountains out of molehills, and dwelling upon things they cannot control or change. They try to drag us into the middle of whatever the latest episode involves and every time this happens, they are able to bring us down a little bit.
We have been through many of these episodes with these people over the years and when it happens, we try to work through it with them. But we have now pretty much come to the conclusion that for them, things will not change and this situation will likely not improve.
However, we are determined that it’s time to draw the line, to no longer allow them to bring us down for even a little bit, and to continue to look at the glass as being half full! No matter what is on your plate, no matter what you are facing in life, there are moments of joy to focus on, there are things to be grateful for and ways to stay positive. Sometimes you really have to hunt around to find the humor in a situation or to locate the happy moments, but they are there. You just have to want to find them.
I have found two sources with tips on how to stay happy. One is from Woman’s Day magazine and has 12 easy ways to stay positive no matter what! The other is from Time Magazine and is a list of 20 Ways to Get and Stay Happy.
http://www.womansday.com/Articles/Health/Reframe-Your-Life.html
http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/0,28757,1631176,00.html
Check them out and please share your best tips on staying positive even when dealing with tough situations.
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