It does seem that our refrigerator always goes out shortly after we move into a new place. So, there we were at Lowe’s last night picking out a refrigerator. I was telling the sales associate that I will never move again! “You know how we always say that?” I laughed, and looked at him.
“No, ma’am, I have never had the privilege.”
The longer we were with him, the more it became apparent that this gentleman may very well be homeless. And there I was lamenting prices of refrigerators and going on about how hard it is to move! Poor me, huh?
It is all in our way of thinking. It’s all in your perspective. Change your perspective, change your life. You can notice all the things wrong with the place you live, or notice all the wonderful things. You can notice all the things you hate about your job, or you can appreciate the work. Two years ago when Doug struggled to find a job because he had been out of work for so long farming, we realized what a privilege it is to have work.
There is a story, that I believe was true, about a woman who became stuck in a walk-in freezer. She was found dead the next day, in a position where it was apparent that she had frozen. Except, the freezer wasn’t on.
Our minds are powerful in making us believe things. If you own illnesses, my cancer, my arthritis, my diabetes, then you have made up your mind that they are apart of you and will never be healed. I am healthy. I am getting stronger. I am thankful that my body gets me up each day! are much more powerful and life changing statements. (Not to mention you might start following day 2 and 3 of this series and heal them up!)
If you start looking around and thinking about all the things you despise about this neighborhood and this house and this job and these people, it will fester, and you will only be able to see more of the negative. It seems it is a natural response for humans to connect by means of sympathy. Notice how you speak. You will notice that most people (I catch myself as well.) will answer a question with a positive and then quickly add a negative. The drive was fine, but the traffic! Oy.
Change your perspective, change your life. This is a powerful way to live your best life.
Today, try and speak only positive words and statements. Gratitude changes everything.