We’ve all had them. Those seemingly perfect days that turn to sh— uh, bad days. Rumpelstiltskin turned straw into gold but at times life seems to do the opposite.
Sometimes it happens slowly. You get up to sunshine. Dress in your favorite blouse and skirt and slip on brand new $200-shoes. You get to work with no problems and prepare for a client meeting. Then find that your favorite blouse has a stain that you hadn’t noticed. Glancing out the window, you see what looks like clouds in the distance. Walking into the conference room your heel on your right foot catches on the carpet and twists your ankle. Out the window, was that lightning? You hobble well enough to get through your meeting. At lunch with the client, you step outside the building into a downpour, and a cab driving by splashes muddy water all over you…and your shoes, which are now soaked and covered with a light layer of street crud.
Sometimes it happens fast. Same scenario, except with just enough time to 
arrive at the office for your meeting, you decide to stop at your favorite coffee shop for pastries and coffee to go for everyone. Oops! The person ahead of you turns too quickly and crashes into you, losing the cover on her Strawberry & Toasted Almonds Overnight Grains and dumping her Caramel Cloud Macchiato with two shots of espresso all over your skirt and…your shoes. (With apologies to Starbucks!) So now, strawberries are smeared across your boobs and “overnight grains” dangle from your belt buckle. Coffee stains everyplace the strawberries don’t. The double shot of espresso has found a place on the toes of your shoes. And there it is: the beautiful sun slipping behind fast-moving storm clouds.
In either plot line, what do you do? Call in sick and hide in bed? Or clean up as best you can and go on to work, pastries and coffee in hand and with a great story to tell? We’ve blogged about this before, how you write your own story. You can wake up deciding to meet fate head-on and make the best of things, or let fate take over. I can’t honestly say that I’ve always met the day with a smile regardless of what’s happened, but I try to. Bad things are going to happen no matter how we try to avoid them. I believe it’s better to control your own corner of the world and make it as good (happy) a place as you can. Hiding in bed won’t do that.
I knew a 40+-years-old woman once who had stage 4 uterine cancer. Her life had gone from sunshine with a fine husband who loved her senselessly, a beautiful home, lots of friends, lots of joys. to storm clouds with one visit to the doctor’s office. But did she give in to despair? Not in public, she didn’t, though I’m sure she felt it inside sometimes. Instead, she always had a smile. She was actually fun to visit because she made her guests feel at ease. She accepted good wishes with grace and help when she needed it with gratitude. She is one of the most selfless women I’ve ever known, and I’ve always admired her. I don’t know if I could be as giving if I were in her place. She made her last days in her corner of the world a good place to be and she died with peace. I know it wasn’t easy for her, but her attitude was an expression of how she faced all aspects of her life.
Hoping you’re making the best of whatever life throws at you! It isn’t always easy but how much better is it than railing against the world?
Read the next blog in the blog hop by going here.
Dee
One Woman Only: The Good Man Series, Book 2 Jonah’s story! Can a simple mechanic rekindle with his high school love? She says no, but Jonah loves a challenge!
This blog post hits home today. A lot of stuff has gone wrong this year, but I refuse to let it keep me down. Sure, I’ll cry, get mad, get upset, but then I’ll get up and look for the rays of light that bless us each day.
Thanks for sharing this post 🙂
What an inspirational post Dee! I do believe it is better to face whatever the world throws at us… In my first job I walked into my first meeting with an important customer, looked down… and realized I was wearing mismatched shoes. I spent the rest of the day trying to hide my feet behind my briefcase…
At least you stayed the rest of the day, Alice! I know people who would have gone home crying over mismatched shoes.
Dee:
Well done. I lost two friends to cancer. One day they were happy as could be the next they were dying. It all happened so quickly, but both of them stayed positive and pleasant through all of it. It helped those around them, that loved them, handle what was happening to their loved one.
Callie
Love the title and the inspirational post. Thanks or sharing. This year started off bad and has gone downhill since. Keeping fingers crossed that next year will be better. There is always hope.
Helen, sorry to hear about your year. It’s been a challenging one for me, health wise, also. What can we do but keep putting one foot in front of the other? Keeping a smile makes it easier, somehow. Wishing you a blessed and happy 2020!
Those seemingly perfect days that turn to sh— uh, bad days – I was about to be flippant and say I’d drink wine, then I read about the incredibly brave woman with stage 4 cancer.
Thank you for this post, Dee.