am i being too optimistic?

so it's the end of the day...and all i can do is smile.

not because my day was full of funny/happy things...but because it was full of, shall we say, "a series of unfortunate events"...as follows:

~losing $20
~spilling a smoothie in my car while looking for said $20
~almost forgetting my keys at the restaurant
~unknowingly dropping my phone in the parking lot at work...in the rain...and not realizing until i got home.
~being tired

so...why am i smiling?

because really, in the big scheme of things, all these things are SO trivial.

~maybe someone found the $20 that really needed it. and really...what was i gonna use it for anyway?
~the remainder of the smoothie was a reminder of the incredibly encouraging time i had at starbucks today with a dear friend i haven't seen for almost a year. plus...now my car smells like strawberries!
~the man who was my server was so gracious and half walk/ran after me to give me my keys...so kind he was!
~my big brother lives close to my work, so he drove over there (after just getting home from a long day at work) and found my phone...and it is now drying at his house. (how awesome is he?!??)
~being tired caused me to be in more constant conversation with God today...cuz i needed His strength to get through my day!

am i being too optimistic? some may think so. but i look at it this way:

if all i choose to look at is the negative in my day and dwell on all that went WRONG, i am totally missing out on the gifts that i DID receive throughout the day. and looking back on all of them, there was always good that came from it.

choosing thanks is a choice. choosing thanks changes perspective.

things could be SO much worse for me...on so many levels. plus, the bright spots in my day COMPLETELY outweigh the bummers.

it's like this. if you're outside and it's pitch dark and all the sudden you see a glimmer of light, where do your eyes go? to the light. and we go to the light because in the deepest parts of us, we're all aching and believing for one glimmer of hope.

we can choose to have that same perspective on life. in the midst of our darkest days...or the days when everything kinda seems to go downhill...we can choose to stay in the dark...or walk toward the light.

walk in the light...find the gifts...give thanks.

so, i end my day today smiling. smiling in joy because of the beauty of life and friendship and big brothers who take care of me and the freedom of not having my phone for a while and the reality that money is just temporary that i have a God who says i can come to Him when i am tired and weary and heavy laden and He will give me rest...true rest.

why are you smiling today?


*CHALLENGE*: make a "happy list" every day for 30 days. then drop me a note about the results...