There Will be Days Like These

We are all going to have a mix of good and bad days throughout life.  There will be some days that require little effort and all the details fall into place.  Everyone at work is nice, easy to work with and appreciative.  At home the housework is enjoyable, the kids are compliant with all requests and energy levels fit the work that needs to be done.  You feel like a rock star, compliment yourself on how awesome you are and spend the evening relaxing in the joy of a day gone right. 

Then there are those days, yep you know them, where nothing seems to go the way it should.  You get out of bed and there is a dark cloud that follows every step.  People seem harder than usual to work with, every task requires unnecessary effort and annoyances surround you.  These can be hard to get through but they are just as needed as the simple ones.  

Rough times are an opportunity to grow, become stronger and learn new lessons.  Sure they don't feel good at the time, but many times we look back with the realization of what we have done and pride in the accomplishment.  Sometimes it is just the sheer shock that we made it through alive.  

As a teenager, I remember multiple occasions where I felt I was facing circumstances that would be unbearable.  One that I hold near and dear is when I learned I would be moving my junior year of high school.  I felt the pain and agony of facing a whole school of people I did not know and felt it would certainly mean the end of me.  The truth is I made it through.  Sure I skipped lunches sometimes to call my mom because I did not know who would accept me at their lunch table; however, I lived and grew through it.  

Then when faced with another move my senior year my outlook changed.  This time it was anger and my target was set on the party responsible for these acts of terror.  My goal was to be as awful as possible to them.  They were to be punished for this irrational uprooting during my teenage life.  I could not understand the obvious disregard for my life and feelings.  

Of course, like so many difficulties we face in life, I look back now with amazing gratitude for these occurrences.  If not for those two moves, many amazing things would not have happened in my life.  I also appreciate the circumstances my parents were given and the decisions they made for their family, even with a child that made every step as difficult as possible.  

We often don't appreciate the times of struggle until many years down the road.  I try to remember the times that things which appeared bad on the surface turned out to be opportunities to grow. It helps me limit the time I focus on bad things and take a slightly different perspective.  Often the crappy days or occurrences can't be controlled, but the amount of time we dwell on them is ours to own.  If you can't change it or it has already happened, then try to realize the lack of control you have over it, learn from it and move forward.  

We can't change the past and worrying about the future does no good.  Therefore, focus on what you can control which is this very moment.   If you make a mistake, move forward from it.  If you have a really rotten day, sleep and awake to a fresh day.  If you are mean to someone or treat them unfairly, apologize and show them you mean it.  

I am guilty of not focusing enough on others at times or being short tempered; therefore, I often try to focus on improving these things.  We are all going to have imperfect moments so allow them to happen but not linger any more than necessary.  Let them pass and move on. 

This moment is a culmination of all that has happened before it.  To wish one thing different has the possibility of impacting the reality of today in a negative way.  We don't know what each day holds, but we have control in the way we learn from it.  Sure awful things happen with what seems like no sensible reason; however, we must learn to heal, seek acceptance and grow from it.  Live life to the fullest and experience every moment to its fullest potential.