So how did I do with No Whining Friday? Well, I woke up feeling good. As I mentioned in my previous post, my daughter slept through the night for one of the first times so I had just over six hours of sleep. I think a good night of sleep can go a long way in keeping a healthy attitude.
I took a long walk with my kids and we stopped at a park so my son could play on the slides. (And my daughter napped–will wonders never cease?!) We had lunch, we ran to the store, and I put them both down for a nap in the afternoon. No major mishaps or meltdowns.
I feel like I need to note this because it was actually an easy day as far as they usually go for me. While I am proud of the fact that I made a conscience effort to think positive thoughts, it feels much easier to do that when everything goes smoothly. It is much harder when any number of things go in a way you didn’t intend them to go.
When my husband got home from work and he asked how my day was, I said simply, “It was good,” and thought about how often I have answered that question by filling him in on any frustrating moment that occurred that day.
Twice, I found myself feeling annoyed in the moment and intentionally pulling myself back from a trip down a negative path. Once was when I had just pulled into a parking space at Fry’s and stepped out of the car to get my son out of his seat. I was just rounding the back of the car when a big truck pulled into the space next to me, hugging the line on his left-hand side. Inside, I wanted to curse because I knew I would have a difficult time maneuvering my son out of the car with this monstrosity parked so close.
But then I stepped back from my frustration and decided to shift my perspective. This wasn’t happening to me, where the driver was personally out to annoy me or be inconsiderate, although that it what it felt like for a split second. This was just something that happened, period. He parked too close to my car and I would need to adjust.
Quite often, I’ve found myself in such a situation where my irritability lingers. Yesterday, reminding myself that it was No Whining Friday helped bring me back from negative feelings that might have remained and clouded my mood.
Ultimately, I know that some days will be much easier than others. Yesterday was a good day for me. But it does make me question: Was it a good day because nothing went terribly wrong or was it a good day because I resolved to have a good attitude about the day despite what might happen? I think it was a little of both. And this brings me back to the main thread of what I believe helps us grow–work on improving our thoughts and controlling our minds and we have power over our lives. Not over what happens in our life, but in how we handle the unexpected that does happen.
