Me: "I've had a long day, Sammy."
My then 10 year old: "Actually - all of your days are the same,
Mother.
It is just your perception that is changing." ~Brook
Good
Morning!
Thinking back to this day, when my daughter
leapt out to greet me. She was not challenge-wrought. She was speaking
excitedly with each sentence hitting a higher octave than the one
before. Quickly, she rattled off an ambitious list of things she wanted
to do in the few hours before bed.
"I've had a long day, Sammy."
She replied with the simple sentence I shared
above. "Actually, all of your days are the same, Mother. It is just
your perception that is changing."
As she skipped off toward the kitchen, I
couldn't help but laugh to myself. My daughter seems to have
inherited a similar interest in how people think, and what people
think. And in this instance, her 10-year-old mind was very much on
target. My day couldn't have been any longer than the one before,
or the one to come next. My perception of what was within that
day was overwhelming me - not the day itself.
Somehow, realizing that is our perception of
life, and not life itself, that trouble us, makes it easier to
climb to a better emotional place.
Instead of dwelling, I quickly adapted my
thinking. Instead of being "wiped out" by the day, I decided to
appreciate all I had accomplished emotionally and professionally during
the day.(And to go to bed early and get a good night's sleep!)
Your Turn: On your "tough days"
appreciate all you have faced and accomplished. Reward
yourself with a positive thought and a bit of extra self-attention
and care.
Affirmation: "Nothing is either good
or bad - but our thinking makes it so..." I choose to think
in ways that support and uplift me.
