Monday Mix-Up – Life is What You Make It

A number of amazing things happened this week that have made me shake my head in wonder. I can remember a time not so very long ago when life was a chore, just getting up in the morning required tremendous effort, when my outlook was pessimistic to say the least. Back then it seemed that bad things happened on a daily basis. My body was a knot of tension waiting for the next blow. I couldn’t sleep at night for worrying about tomorrow and when I did fall asleep, I prayed that I might never wake up. I kept thinking, “Is this it? Is this how the rest of my life is going to play out? Is this all there is?”

I’m happy to say that I don’t feel that way anymore. Sure, bad things happen – they happen to everyone and there isn’t a lot we can do to prevent them. It’s just a fact of life. The difference? I no longer expect and wait for horrible things to happen.

So what changed? My outlook. I woke up one morning and decided “Enough!” Someone once told me that “God paints a beautiful picture every day. You just have to look for it.” And he was right. No matter how bad my day or catastrophic the event, I try to find something – anything – to appreciate in that day. It might be as trivial as a hawk sitting on my backyard fence, but it is something. And for ten seconds, I try to think of nothing but that beautiful thing. Ten seconds isn’t much time, but it’s enough to take your mind off of all the crap that tries to crowd out those beautiful moments.

When I woke up this morning, I felt stressed and emotionally sick. Gray storm clouds threatened rain. I forced myself out of bed and over to the state park for a hike. “Just twenty minutes,” I promised myself, “and no more. Then you can come home and wallow in depression or whatever.” So I threw the dogs in the car and trudged across town. It turned out to be one of the most awesome mornings I’ve ever had. It didn’t rain. I met and chatted with several people who took an interest in my dogs, shared some laughs. I hiked five miles, jogged for twenty minutes (a personal best), and saw some inspiring scenery.

The moral to the story? Get up. Get out. And make good things happen.