Mrs. Butterworth

Some mornings just have more obstacles than others.  Mrs. Butterworth decided to take a swan dive from the third shelf in the pantry this morning, lost her cap, spilled half her insides, creating quite a mess on the floor.  Luckily for me, most of the brown goo was gone before I made it that far.  I thought it was rather amusing myself.  The three dish towels had not hardened yet so I took them from the trash and put them in the washing machine (with HOT water and a high water level).

The discussion that ensued exemplified the difference in outlook over Mrs. Butterworth's unexpected leap to the floor.  I was told that this was just an omen of how bad the day was probably going to be.

I offered an alternative view:  Maybe this meant the day was going to be very sweet.

It's taken me a long time to turn that into a regular way to look at things.  For years I struggled with negativity and worrying about every little thing.  I'm not sure at what point things finally turned around for me.  However, I definitely know that there is tremendous power in positive thinking.  Once I started trying it, I found it really made a difference -- both in how I felt about what I was doing, as well as the effect it had on the things I was doing.  Things just seemed to turn out better if I had a more positive attitude.

I found that if I started looking for the good things, I usually found them.  There is almost always a silver lining if you look hard enough.  Then the very best thing of all happens.  Once you start doing this on a frequent enough basis, it just becomes a part of how you think.  It's second nature to start looking for the bright side.

There is a Part Two to this type of thinking.  It helps to look for the humor in whatever situation I find myself.  To me it was downright hilarious picturing Mrs. Butterworth diving off the pantry shelf.  (I'm not sure that was the picture that came to mind for the person when the accident first occurred , especially when the mess was being cleaned up.)  Humor helps save sanity many times over.

I also believe that things happen for a reason -- and they happen at the time they do for a reason.  There is a perfect, timed sequence.  Moreover, there is a lesson to be learned from many of the situations or events we experience.  So the challenge is to figure out what the lesson might be.

I've tried to learn about patience, how I might have been kinder to someone, oh so that's what that feels like, and on and on. 

One of the people that has been a huge help in this change for me has been Dr. Alan Zimmerman with his Tuesday Tips.  I always look forward to what he has to say on Tuesday each week.  His Tuesday Tips newsletter is free to anyone who wants to subscribe.  Here is the link if anyone is interested.  http://www.drzimmerman.com/tiptestimonies.htm
He gets my Gratitude for today. 

Goodnite, Mrs. Butterworth!