At the very start of this new year, I decided something in
my life had to change. I was
constantly finding myself frustrated at situations outside of my control or
saddened by the various challenging events of my life. I knew if I did not change my focus,
these fears, heartaches, and trials would slowly begin to consume my thoughts, and worse, my life.
So I made a promise to myself – each night before bed, for an
entire year, I would write just three positive moments from my day in a journal. For a self-proclaimed “non-writer,”
this was a relatively ambitious endeavor, but I dug up an old journal from the
depths of a drawer and started anyway.
Nearly three months have passed, and I cannot even begin to
describe how impactful this seemly insignificant action has been on my life! Instead of allowing my mind to dwell on
the negative experiences of my day, I force myself to center my heart and mind
on the good – my “happy thoughts.”
Some days are most certainly easier than others! For example, during my Disney trip, I
could have listed just about any three events that occurred during the day and
headed to bed happy!
Other days prove to be more difficult. Some nights, I just stare at the blank
page searching my brain for anything
that could qualify as a “happy” moment.
It is on these tougher days, though, that I often find the most
beautiful hidden bits of joy. A
little note from a student on the board, an encouraging hug from a friend, a
finished project, an extra snuggle from my puppies, or a quiet moment with my
husband are all beautiful experiences that might have otherwise been overlooked
had I not chosen to seek them out.
Life is hard.
And sadly, it is much easier to focus on everything “wrong”
than to search for the good, peace, and beauty. For me,
however, I am learning that if I will just look, even the tiniest bit, I can
find hope and light in the darkest times and often in the most unexpected
places.
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