NOTE: I wrote this up last Wednesday with the intention of posting it that night. Well that didn’t happen. Wednesday ended up being a L.O.N.G. day – 14.75 hours of work [yeah overtime], and of course I kept forgetting to email this to myself. So here it is a week late but just as true and just as meaningful.
It’s a new year. A new start. A new chance at new opportunities. And I for one want to start it off right.
I’ve decided that what I – and most everyone – needs is a new way to interpret my perspective. So here I go. Here was my day and thoughts from yesterday. The first part is my current old outlook on life and the bold italics is my new, ever improving outlook.
Alarm goes off at 5am. Ugg is it already time to wake up?
Wow I got 7 hours of sleep, in a nice warm, comfy bed, In MY safe, secure, beautiful house.
Off to the TRAX at 5:40 and it’s FREEZING outside. I always cringe when I first sit on the seats of the train because who knows what type of dirt is on those seats. I then get to walk the two blocks from the TRAX station to my office in the frigid temperatures.
Thank goodness that I have a job.
I think that’s worth saying again. THANK GOODNESS I HAVE A JOB. And that my office is close enough to TRAX that I can ride (for half price because my job subsidies the cost) and my parents can have the car. And thank goodness that the train is warm and the seats are cushioned and that I can relax and read and not have to deal with stupid Utah drivers before I start my day.
One of my New Year’s Resolutions is to give up the elevator and only take the stairs – not just that but the alarm on my computer is set to go off 4 times a day and when it goes off I go walk all the way down the 6 flights of stairs and all the way back up. And as always that first time climbing the stairs in the morning is killer and it feels like it’s hotter than Hades after being outside.
Thank goodness I have a job! (Are you tired of this one yet? Cause I’m not!)
And how great is it that I have a nice cushy job that’s inside a heated building with all the necessary amenities to make my life easier. How great is it that I’m healthy and whole and have the ability to walk up and down the stairs.
I take a moment to look over my credit card statement and cringe at the balance. I notice that the charge for my new glasses has come through. I’d forgotten how much they cost me even after the insurance and my HSA. I’m never going to be out of debt.
It’s a good think I have great insurance that covers my glasses or I’d have had to pay out double what I did pay. And even better that my employer offers me an HSA so I can pay for this pre-tax.
It’s year-end closing time which means tons of work! I can’t get anything done because people keep emailing, calling and stopping by asking me to do this or that. I ended up working 12 and a half hours. I’m tired and sore for sitting at the desk for 12.5 hours. I have a headache from staring at a computer screen and tiny little numbers for 12.5 hours. And ohh joy I get to walk back in the dark, in the cold, in downtown SLC, wait for my train and then sit on those dirty seats again.
How amazing is it that not only do I have a job – but that my job allows me to work overtime and earn time and a half pay! How blessed, lucky, spoiled am I that I don’t have to worry about who’s going to pick up the girls from daycare because I need to stay late at work. That I don’t ever have to worry about them being mistreated, not taken care of, or worse while I’m at work because I have the most amazing, selfless parents in the world, who love my kids. I don’t have to ever worry that they’re not being fed well, that they’re not clean or properly clothed. I know at all times they are loved and happy (even if they don’t realize it), and safe. How lucky am I that my parents provided me an amazing education that gave me the skills I need to do my job and do it well. How lucky am I that I have parents who taught me the benefits of working hard, of always trying my best, and doing what it takes to get the job done. Isn’t it wonderful that we live in a day and age where instead of having to write out our accounting records by hand on pieces of ledger paper that I can use a computer which does half the work for me.
I get home from work and the first thing I notice is the smell of fried food. Really MORE fried food?! After all that grease and oil on my sister's birthday just 2 days ago. My mom has made vegetable and fish tempura and some miso soup for dinner.
How amazing is my mom that she not only cooked dinner but that she waited to cook my portion of dinner so that it would be hot and fresh when I got home from work. How lucky am I that I have healthy, delicious, home cooked food to eat and plenty of it. How wonderful is my mom that she makes dinners that she knows I like, because let’s be honest, there’s no such thing as too much chocolate, cheese, garlic or fried foods! And I really enjoyed it once I started eating it!
This isn’t everything but it’s a start. How different would our world be is everyone took a few minutes to examine something from their day they thought was bad and find the good in it? How much happier would we all be? Obviously this doesn’t work with everything, there are some things that just plain suck but it’s also the small things that build up and push us over the edge. Leave a comment about something crappy in your day today and then your re-analysis of it. I hope everyone has a great week!
