A friend of mine once said to me: If you want to hear God laugh, tell Him your plans.
Which is to say, no matter who we are, or how focused or determined we are, full of dreams and five-year-plans, life ultimately gets in the way. Or as the popular saying goes, Life happens when you least expect it.
Another friend is always wont to say, ‘everyone has their show.’ In other words, everyone has something in their life that they are dealing with—either their own physical or mental wellbeing, or that of their parents, children or friends.
No one is untouched by life.
And that is when each one of us needs to grab our key ring and pull out the right ‘attitude’ key- the one that will unlock the door that we are unexpectedly slammed up against. The ‘attitude’ key I envision is the kind that Lurch in the Addams Family used—you know the one —the gigantic-hold-it-in-your-two-hands-kind-of-key which is almost impossible after four tendon transplants on the one hand, and three on the other.
But hey…where there’s a will, there’s an attitude. Attitude can make or break a day. Waking up in the morning, tired and chronically in pain, head full of plans, and body full of resistance, it would be easy to spiral into a depression.
Or, at the very least, drag out the pity pot for a good long s(h)it of ‘poor me.’ That alone is disheartening. Instead of worrying about taking on the world today, (or kicking it to the curb- you have to be careful there you might hurt your comprised foot), I adopt an attitude of gratitude and action it with little acts of kindness (if even to yourself). Action it by accomplishing one small thing that you had been hoping to get done for eons. Or action it by sprucing yourself up- for yourself! Action your Attitude and your attitude will action and actualize small moments of purpose and joy in your day. You may not be able to control all the dips and valleys life hands you, but with a positive attitude and a willingness to keep going, you can certainly enjoy the ride.
That’s what roller coasters are made for, no?