I was having one of “those” days today. Nothing felt easy. Computer glitches. The kitty had a huge, stinky accident on the bed. (I will spare you the photo!) I didn’t want to work on a holiday, but I felt overwhelmed with all I have to do so I did.
A few hours ago, my life did not feel like it was falling into place.
In fact, I fell down the rabbit hole and was thinking “help, get me outta here.” I know you’ve been there, too.
Yet, at this very moment, in a surprising turnaround, all is well and I am back on track. What turned my cranky self around?
I remembered what my wonderfully positive Dad did for our family every Labor Day (back in the days when the first day of school was the Tuesday after Labor Day!)
He gathered together the five of us kids for a “family meeting” and gave us a pep talk about how we had choices for our new school year and for our lives to fall into place.
Were we going to get up late for school and miss the bus? Or were we going to go to bed early and wake up in time and go in an easy flow?
Were we going to do our homework? Or were we going to procrastinate and suffer the consequences of not having it done by getting poor grades?
Were we going to fuss and cry and fight with each other getting ready for school in the mornings? Or, were we going to “greet each day with love in our hearts?”
Were we going to be negative and look at the glass half-empty? Or, were we going to be positive and see the glass half-full?
You get the idea. All these years later, my Dad’s words rushed back to me — just in time to save the day. They melted my heart and helped me to stop and take a breath. I had choices to get my life to fall back into place.
My glass half-full life is filled with so much love and support. All I needed to do was tap into it. I did and it made a difference. My husband Rob and my Women on Fire colleagues Jan Allen and Jamie Eslinger were at the ready today…as they always are.
I just needed love…and support…and friends…and understanding. It was all right there waiting for me. I had to make the choice of which direction I was going.
Thanks, Dad. Your annual “special talks” on Labor Day still work decades later!
What do you do to get your life on track when it feels derailed? What words of wisdom show up for you when you’re feeling down? Did you get a new school year pep talk — or do you give one to your kids now? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below. I’d love to hear.
