I was reading a friend's recent post and I thought it's so true. Life is what it is, a mixture of good and bad. Attitude makes all of the difference.
So, I apply this to my most recent week.
Three of us, including me, were diagnosed with strep throat. I've had to get up at 6:30am to make sure Dinohunter is up, then at 7am for the rest. I've had to take kids to school and make sure they were settled, take care of sick kids, grocery shop and errands, make all of the meals, and clean up, pick up "stuff", do laundry, clean up messes from creative endeavors or carelessness, clean a pool and keep an eye on little swimmers, fold laundry, vacuum, help with homework with honery kids and everyone needing me all at once. No surprise, I've had no time to prepare stuff for the yardsale I'm having on Saturday. And all of this while dealing with strep. But this isn't all I've had to deal with.
Oh no.
Whenever there is more than one child present, one has had to bother, pick on, be annoyed with, or upset the other. And, because these children are still not falling to sleep early, but are getting up early, we've had a bunch of grumpy kids. Then there's the rudeness and defiance. Yes, I know, even with my (usually) wonderful kids.
Because I know that they are amazing kids in general, I seriously think, maybe it's me? Okay, I know, but I still lack many skills that make dealing w/all of this easier.
So I started thinking, what kind of attitude should I have? What is the positive response, the "cup is half full" response. I tried really hard to find SOMETHING positive.
"It's a learning experience." No. It's the same old, same old.
"It's teaching me patience." No. If anything, it's showing me how impatient I really am.
"It's pointing out my flaws to keep me humble." True, humility is good for the soul- but I'm bordering on insanity and that can't be good.
And then I got it. (BTW, I believe that God has a sense of humor, because I think this was inspired...)
I thought, God is letting me experience this because THIS is what hell is like. And now that I know what hell is like, I certainly DO NOT want to go there, so I'm going to do my darnedest to be good so I can get into heaven.
Positive attitude found. Or attitude anyway. So there.
11 comments:
LOL LOL LOL!!!!!
I sure hope you all get better and back to your usual crazy (but not cranky) selves SOON!!!
Hey - sorry to hear about all the sick people including yourself! It's always hardest when mom gets sick because she never gets a break, even then...you guys are in our prayers!
I could have written about every word of that post in regards to myself. I have had "Hell Week" over here, too, but I like your perspective. Thanks for a great post.
I couldn't help but break out laughing. It's good to know that you did find that silver lining and learned a valuable lesson to boot.
Keep up the fight, because if you are going through hell and stop, you'll always be there.
far-
A regular schedule will help immensly.
b&l-
Thanks for the prayers. My kids may need it to survive "cranky mom", til things settle down.
gerb-
Ah, someone who TRULY understands.
tchn-
yeah, even just writting it down made me laugh and feel that life would be okay.
Life really is all of those things, isn't it? I'm with you on the Hell part. I'm not looking forward to that place.
You really seem like a good person who is really trying her best. Don't stop doing that.
NY-
Thanks for the encouragement. As long as I get a break every day, I do survive. To me, blogging is one of those breaks. It's good to step out and connect with other people.
"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow."
– Melody Beattie
grin-
Don't tell me I'm suspose to be thankful for such hard days!..maybe that I survive somewhat intact would be okay though.
I didn't say that you had to be grateful for the hard days, just to be grateful for another day with them. Grateful that you were blessed with kids. Your kids, and husband, may not appreciate you now for everything that you do, but they will.
I drove my mom and dad absolutely bonkers when I was little. If Satan ever spawned a child, then that child is me!!! I look back on my early years and am very grateful for having a supermom. I doubt that I would be the person I am now without the example that my mom set for me. You sound like a supermom. Keep up your great work!!
grin-
Thanks. So true, gratitude is one of the finer things in life that make it worth it all.
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