Warning: Mushy post ahead.
Sometimes I find myself caught up in the little frustrations of life and I focus too much on the next chore I have to do, or the endless problems that seems to crop up, who to yell at, who not to yell at, worries, stress, SILVERFISH. And I've noticed that when I'm feeling flustered and frustrated with life, I only see the negatives--the things that are going wrong--and that feeling is so suffocating that I can't breathe in anything good and new.
We were driving in the car on our way home from school when Jack expressed to me that he just felt down, not for any particular reason, and that as the day had gone on, he had found more and more reasons to continue feeling down. This was such a familiar feeling to me it almost seemed like a bell had chimed softly in my head as he explained his feelings. I told him that I knew exactly how he felt, and that it happens to me too. Then I told him the way that I try to fix that feeling, as soon as I sense it creeping in on my day. I told him how I think of all of my favorite things, my favorite people, all of the adventures that I want to have, the places I want to go, the things I'm looking forward to. I told him that I remember how I feel when I squeeze the dogs, or my kids, or my parents or sister; I remember the taste of oysters with lemon and horseradish, and how one time I found a pearl in one; I think of laughing with my friends at silly jokes, or finishing a really great book, the excitement I feel when I plan a surprise for someone special, or when I help people at work. As my list went on, Jack started to excitedly chime in and we added more and more things--checking on the baby blue birds that made a nest in our birdhouse, watching the finches devour the contents of our feeder, seeing the horses and ponies on the way to Susu's house, cannonballs into the pool, hot french fries, the smell of a new action figure, watching a really good movie for the first time and being excited to see it again right away. Before we knew it we were home and both in great moods. I promised that if he felt sad again, I would help him remember his list. He gave me a quick squeeze as we went inside, and promised to do the same for me. I told him that he does, without trying, all of the time.
I recently saw a movie called Jeff, Who Lives at Home and I really loved it. It's weird and quirky and funny and has a GREAT thread, which totally resonated with me: you have to keep your eyes open for signs in life, and not signs that things are wrong, but signs that things are so, so right. And you can't do this if you're closed off and negative. No, no, you have to be open and positive that these things are there, you just have to notice them in the right light. There is a great quote in this movie, and as soon as I heard it, I heard that same chime in my head. "What is the greatest day in the history of the world? It's today."
Sometimes I find myself caught up in the little frustrations of life and I focus too much on the next chore I have to do, or the endless problems that seems to crop up, who to yell at, who not to yell at, worries, stress, SILVERFISH. And I've noticed that when I'm feeling flustered and frustrated with life, I only see the negatives--the things that are going wrong--and that feeling is so suffocating that I can't breathe in anything good and new.
We were driving in the car on our way home from school when Jack expressed to me that he just felt down, not for any particular reason, and that as the day had gone on, he had found more and more reasons to continue feeling down. This was such a familiar feeling to me it almost seemed like a bell had chimed softly in my head as he explained his feelings. I told him that I knew exactly how he felt, and that it happens to me too. Then I told him the way that I try to fix that feeling, as soon as I sense it creeping in on my day. I told him how I think of all of my favorite things, my favorite people, all of the adventures that I want to have, the places I want to go, the things I'm looking forward to. I told him that I remember how I feel when I squeeze the dogs, or my kids, or my parents or sister; I remember the taste of oysters with lemon and horseradish, and how one time I found a pearl in one; I think of laughing with my friends at silly jokes, or finishing a really great book, the excitement I feel when I plan a surprise for someone special, or when I help people at work. As my list went on, Jack started to excitedly chime in and we added more and more things--checking on the baby blue birds that made a nest in our birdhouse, watching the finches devour the contents of our feeder, seeing the horses and ponies on the way to Susu's house, cannonballs into the pool, hot french fries, the smell of a new action figure, watching a really good movie for the first time and being excited to see it again right away. Before we knew it we were home and both in great moods. I promised that if he felt sad again, I would help him remember his list. He gave me a quick squeeze as we went inside, and promised to do the same for me. I told him that he does, without trying, all of the time.
I recently saw a movie called Jeff, Who Lives at Home and I really loved it. It's weird and quirky and funny and has a GREAT thread, which totally resonated with me: you have to keep your eyes open for signs in life, and not signs that things are wrong, but signs that things are so, so right. And you can't do this if you're closed off and negative. No, no, you have to be open and positive that these things are there, you just have to notice them in the right light. There is a great quote in this movie, and as soon as I heard it, I heard that same chime in my head. "What is the greatest day in the history of the world? It's today."
