Monday, June 08, 2015

Every Dark Cloud Has a Silver Lining

"There's two ways of lookin'
at them holes in your shoes.
You can dig the ventilation
or sing the blues."
-- "Rainbows Colored in Blue", Sanford Townsend Band
 
 
Everyone loves Mondays, don't they?  Mondays for me aren't as bad as they can be for some people, but they still aren't my favorite day.  I find it tough to get back in the swing of things after a weekend and everyone else seems to, as well.  Because it was sunny outside and there was a nice breeze, I decided to take a walk at lunch, as I have been trying to do when the weather cooperates.  Today, my walk was almost three miles round trip, with a stop at the Dollar Tree in the middle for some water.  As I'm checking out, the cashier noticed the bracelets on my right wrist & said "That one with 'Hope' is pretty".  I wear two bracelets, both related to cancer.  The green one that says "Accelerate the Cure" was for my uncle Marlin, who passed away from multiple myeloma.  I've worn it every since they gave it to me and I haven't taken it off.  The second is a purple one that my mom was handing out when I was going through Hodgkin's Lymphoma and it says "Faith, Hope, & Love".  I explained to the cashier what they were for and she held up her hand for a high-five, saying that she, too, had gone through Hodgkin's.  Seven years she had been healthy, but still kept her hair short as a reminder.  The customer behind me then told us that her father-in-law passed away from NON-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, to which I gave my sympathy for her loss.  I paid for my items and went on my way, but I thought about that brief exchange the entire way back.
 
I struggle every day of every week to find a reason to want to get up and face my job.  I know it's not what I want to do for the rest of my life, but it's what I have to do for now.  That conversation made me realize that although my cancer was one of the most curable you can have, I was blessed to be standing there talking to that cashier, who shared in the same blessing.  I could just have easily been the customer's father-in-law, who left behind a family that obviously still feels the pain of his loss. 
 
The lyrics I quoted above eloquently but simply state that there are two sides to every situation and it's how you choose to look at it that makes the difference.  Can we control every situation that is thrown at us?  No.  Other people have wills as strong as you and some of them seem to be set on making life tougher.  What we can do is attempt to change how we look at the situation.  Yes, Mondays can suck and so can our jobs, but nowhere near as much as going through a life-threatening disease or the loss of a loved one.  When you can say you have a job, that you get an hour lunch break at that job, that you have enough money to buy some food and drink, and you can enjoy a walk in the sunshine without any difficulty or discomfort, that should be considered a good day.
 
So this is me verbalizing my attempt at changing myself for the better.  I'm not saying that I won't still grumble, because it's human nature to do so and it's difficult to modify that.  But what I am going to try to do is to consider my thoughts before they come words and actions so that hopefully I can become more positive and from that, only good things should come.  If you agree, I encourage you to do the same.  We'll support each other and try to keep each other on the right track.  Feel free to send me a message, public or private, to let me know you're on board.

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