I was complaining this weekend and a friend stopped me and basically told me to knock it off, that within my whining there was a lot to be thankful for.
Damn those good friends who know how to put us in our place!
We’ve heard it a million times, “Be grateful, focus on the good” especially in tough times. While it can become cliché, there is so much truth to that premise. You simply cannot deny that your attitude is a choice. I don’t care how dire the circumstances, you decide how to react.
We see it all the time: people who are experiencing great loss or tragedy, yet they are pressing on with optimism and hope. People say, “They are handling it so well! Look how strong they are!” Yes, true. When faced with tough times we all hang out in throes of despair initially. But it is up to you how long you stay there and if you use your experiences to grow and teach other people by example.
Fortunately, most of us are not dealing with extreme tragedy at every given moment. We are just trying to navigate through an injury or a lost job or a clogged toilet.
This brings m
e to Cone or Crap, something I read about recently.
Basically, at any given moment we are all simultaneously holding an ice cream cone in one hand and stepping in crap with one of our feet.
The ice cream is all the good stuff around you be it your health, your family, a hot cup of coffee, the run you had this morning, or the fact that you HAVE a job. The crap is all the negative stuff like a flat tire, the national economic situation, the pouring rain outside. Both cone and crap are present, but which are you paying attention to? Which are you giving your energy to?
This isn’t to say that “crap” gets ignored or isn’t given the proper attention or emotional response. It is to say that you can’t get stuck in the crap and spiral into no man’s land.
The SUAR that you see is usually smiling basking in the glory of a dump well taken. Yet, just there are some days where the crap gets the best of me. I have to remember to welcome the taste of the sweet ice cream and to wipe the crap off or throw away the shoe.
Do you focus on the cone or the crap? Hopefully not a cone with crap flavored ice cream.
SUAR
The winner of the Planet Gear $50 giveaway is #158, Running with ACDs. Send me an email at beth@shutupandrun.net and I’ll tell you how to claim your prize!
