It's amazing how one day everything can seem to go your way, but then the next day everything appears to completely fall apart. It's funny how different people handle the same situation. Why do certain people handle these same situations better than others? I wonder if it's a matter of attitude or how they perceive things around them? I have no doubt events are going to happen in a person's life that are going to be good or bad no matter what. In those instances you just need to celebrate and say a prayer of thanksgiving on those good days and on the bad days you need to pray for guidance and lean on family and friends for support. But what about those other days?
I can't help but recall a specific event in my life that occurred a long time ago when I was in high school. A friend and I were going out for the evening; I believe there was a dance and we were going out to dinner beforehand. On the way to dinner I got pulled over and got a speeding ticket. The police officer held me a little longer than you would expect, and asked me a lot of questions. Apparently there was another car just like mine involved in a hit and run. After I got what would be my first speeding ticket, we went along our way. About a mile up the way, as we were making our way up the bluffs, my car suddenly ran out of gas. I knew I was pushing it, but I honestly thought I could make it. Luckily the cop wasn't too far behind us and was able to stop and call someone for us (no cell phones back then). Once help arrived we put a little gas in my car and were ready to continue our journey when the battery in my car died. Finally, later on that night while we were at the dance hanging out with our friends, someone broke into my car and stole some of our belongings.
It's hard to believe all of this could happen in one day and strangely it all seemed to be focused on my car. Through it all I don't think I ever thought of it as a bad day. I don't think I ever cried or got discouraged. I think we were actually able to laugh about most of it. We were making the best out of a bad situation. I considered that a good day. But I think many people would consider that a bad day.
I guess it really is all about our attitude and how we perceive things around us. I am the first to admit I don't handle all situations with grace. I know there are days when I just don't think I can take it. There are days that just seem never ending, everything is going wrong and I just want the day to end so I can crawl into my little hole and never come out. When I look back at some of those bad days I can see they really weren't as bad as I thought; I just didn't have the right attitude. And as the above story about my little outing with my friend shows I do have the ability to make the best out of a bad situation. We can choose to live life believing something is the most devastating thing in the world and be miserable or we can choose to live life by making the best out of a bad situation and maybe even laughing about it. I think I will choose the latter.
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