Bad Day? No, Thanks!

A while back my best friend asked me what I do when I have a bad day. I gave the half-laughing glib answer, "I don't have bad days." Sorta kidding, because we all have 'em. It's just that I know that giving them a whole day of this precious life makes me feel even worse!

What I've actually learned is, I can indulge the feelings for a few minutes, but then, feel like it or not, I have to Get up. Get Going. Get gratitude! Lots of my favorite upbeat music and lots of remembering how blessed I truly am!

A few Saturdays ago was one of those days. The weather app said high of 102. It had been a hectic week at the corporate job. A writing deadline stared me down every time I walked into my home office.

We'd planned a workday at the ranch and I'd woken up with a Hallmark movie attitude. I wanted to go swimming with the grandkids, if they could fit me into their busy schedules. I wanted white chocolate strawberry cheesecake yogurt at Orange Leaf. I wanted to have friends over for tacos from Super Tacos and an overly competitive game of Spades. Something fun.

But. I'd committed and I knew I'd feel worse canceling on a promise. And worse that the work would only multiply by putting it off.

So, here's where we kick that strong-will that your dad always complained about into high gear. Refuse to give in. No matter how much is going wrong, there's so much more that's going right. Fighting thru a bad mood is satisfying. It feels good to win, right? Even when the "don't wanna's" hit, we're not at their mercy. Not today, bad mood. This is something I can control, and you are out!

And on that crazy hot, exhausting Saturday workday at the ranch, I ended up having one of the best days ever. Beautiful marshmallow clouds showed up for a reprieve from the blistering sun. The physical work and fresh air felt good after being in the office all week. I love, love, love working as a team to get a job done. The satisfaction of seeing projects finished felt amazing. And didn't see a single snake. What a great day!

"Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." (credited to Abraham Lincoln) Do you believe this is true?