“I’m the girl that truly tries to find the good in every annoyance.
When I’m driving home and I take a route I’ve never taken before, I miss my exit, or I take a left when I should have taken a right…I thank my guardian angels. Maybe they’re saving me from a car accident that would have happened had I taken my normal route home. Maybe the extra three minutes is a blessing.
When I interview for a job and I think I nailed it, only to find out they went with another candidate…I smile and send that person love. Maybe that person is trying to get back on their feet after a divorce and after their babies left the nest for college. Maybe that person mentally and financially needs this specific position more than I do.
When I leave my cardigan on the plane that I just bought the day before…I smile for the soul who discovers it. Maybe it was never meant to be mine. Maybe the person who finds it will wear it the night she gets engaged and that article of clothing will forever be pictured for generations after her to admire.
When I go to the grocery store looking for three boxes of spaghetti to feed my herd and there’s only two available…I leave them. Maybe the single mom who only has $5 left to her name needs these noodles for the next few days to feed her baby until she gets paid again. I can think of another meal.
When I’m at the doctors and I’ve been sitting in the waiting room thirty minutes past my appointment time…I sit there and be patient. Maybe the doctor is breaking the news to a patient that they have stage four cancer. That conversation deserves a little bit more time and respect. I can wait to talk about my sore ear.
When the neighborhood girl keeps coming over and I’ve never once met her parents…I feed her. Maybe she finds solace in a welcoming, loving home. Maybe she enjoys being around us and maybe she likes eating meals around our table, surrounded by all my kids. Truly, what’s one more when I’m already feeding six?
When I’m sitting in my car in the parking lot, about to pull out of my spot and a young girl taps my bumper with her car as she’s backing out…I get out and show no sign of anger. Maybe this incident will forever teach her to always pay attention to what’s behind her. Maybe she needed my grace so her alcoholic father won’t beat her when he finds out I filed an insurance claim on a hairline (but invisible to the naked eye) dent my husband can easily get out. Some things are really not worth throwing a fit over.
When I drive to the store to pick up the one TV they have left in stock, according to their website, and find out they just sold it…I make the drive with my husband to the town over to grab the same one. Maybe we needed this little impromptu afternoon date. Maybe the Mexican lunch we grabbed solo, without our kids, was enough to ignite a little romance back into our busy lives. Plus, the margarita we shared was delicious on a Tuesday afternoon so how can we complain?!
When my husband goes out for drinks with his buddies on a day I feel like I’m drowning in motherhood, I throw on a movie and feed the kids a plate of snacks for dinner without complaining. Then I pour myself a drink. Maybe his buddy is silently suicidal and needed my husband’s friendship, humor, and shoulder to vent on. Maybe my husband really needed a fun game of pool and shuffleboard to decompress from the stresses of work. Sometimes you just need a good hangout with your best friend.
Having a bigger perspective has changed a lot for me. It’s changed me for the better. It’s changed my relationships. It’s changed my view of everything around me. Realizing I can’t control everything, but I can control my reaction to it, has made life not so gloomy or pessimistic.
I used to play the victim. I used to think the world was out to get me when things would go wrong, or silly frustrations would arise. I used to be so dramatic when difficulties would emerge. On the surface, I would smile and choke down the tears. But on the inside, I was a turmoil of resentment and anger.
I’m not perfect. But I’m trying to be better! Isn’t that sort of what life is all about? Constantly learning to be better when you realize there’s always growth ahead of you?
There are always lessons to be learned so let’s all be better students. The world could really use more optimism!”
This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Molly Schultz of Tried and True Mama. You can follow her on Instagram. Submit your own story here. Be sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter for our best stories, and YouTube for our best videos.
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