It's a Great Day for a Great Day!

Today has been a great day. Not because I did anything spectacular or visited with anybody out of the ordinary, but because I chose to change my perspective. Let’s talk a little bit about perspective. 

There have been so many times in the past when I’ve looked at a situation and my mind automatically focused the negative. My dark clouds, as my husband calls them, start rumbling and I’m mentally going through a laundry list of why whatever has happened is horrible or has ruined the day.

For example, let’s say I was looking forward to going to dinner with my husband at a steakhouse because he’s been working all day and it’s date night. When we get there we’re told the wait is 30 - 45 minutes. When our name is called, we’re escorted to a table next to the kitchen with high traffic. Then, after we’ve ordered and our food is delivered, my steak is cooked medium instead of well done. Hey…don’t fuss at me because I like a well done steak!  I have a couple of choices to make in this situation. If I allow my dark clouds to take over, I’ll be upset that we had to wait so long only to get the worst table available and the cherry on top is they messed up my steak. In this situation, I’m fuming and ticked off that our date night has been ruined. The “whole day has been a total disaster!”

Or I can choose to reframe the situation and look at it all from a different perspective. I have 30-45 minutes to be able to visit with husband and catch up on how our days went and just overall enjoy each other’s company. Oh, they sat us by the kitchen. Hey, we can get a sneak peak of all of the meals, especially the desserts, as they go by. If my steak’s not cooked correctly, I can smile at the waiter and explain that I’d prefer my steak be cooked a little longer. I guarantee they will take care of that for you because they want you to have a positive experience at their establishment. In this situation, not only am I able to enjoy time with my husband but I’m still looking forward to the rest of the evening.

My husband had to work on today. Instead of brooding over not being able to spend the day with him, as I had hoped, I made today a great day. I went to Barnes & Noble, ordered a cup of Harney & Sons’s hot cinnamon spice tea from Starbucks (which is quickly becoming a favorite), and walked around looking at all of the lovely offerings laid out before me.  I looked through all of the journals: flipping the pages, touching, smelling… yes, smelling because some of them deserve it! I enjoyed my day doing things I love. Now, my heart is full, I've found a few new books to enjoy later, and I’m heading home to cook dinner.

After dinner, we’ll spend the evening either driving around on the land or working on equipment he’s been needing to fix. Then, as the icing on the proverbial cake, spending the rest of the evening watching a movie or tv show together before heading bed. In shifting my perspective, we had a win-win day: he finished up his work and I enjoyed me time.

It is not easy! It has taken me over a year to train my brain to look for the positive, and I still fail sometimes. However, life is better when you're able to live in a better mindset and an attitude of gratitude. How can you put reframing to use in your everyday life?