PERSPECTIVE (AGAIN!)

This week can be a bugger for some single folks and I am no different. It's easy to get grabbed by the blues monster, and after all these years dealing with it, I am mostly successful. 

Today COULD be the worst. Seeing all the flowers being bought and imagining everyone, but a few of us, is living happily-ever-after with someone terrific. It sure can make this holiday one to loath if you don't have counter-measures in place. You can't even talk to friends today, because they are busy with the romantical crap. 

That's why I am compelled to write tonight. 

The previous week has made me very aware of "perspective" and the need to focus on the positives. Just in the previous 140ish hours, I could have bathed in self-pity. I have been challenged by more than a few instances of things not going as expected. 

(In no particular order...) Things like:

- Mom needing more help with personal care
- breaking the glass on my phone that covers the camera lens
- the car breaking down 70  miles from home
- "black screen" on my phone, making it unusable
- no special someone on this bleeping holiday
- flat tire... again
- engine light comes on, after a repair was done 3 days prior
- item I was going to buy was sold out when I got back to it
- Mom having issues with me, if I want to leave the room
- finding so many negatives in such a short time

Years ago, this mountain of misery might have dropped me into a depressed state and I would have needed a weekend of sappy movies and bawling like a baby to "correct" my mood.  

Luckily, I have evolved.

Mom needing help is expected and for a moment, disappointing. It's always sad that the decline is so constant and measurable. The GOOD side is, my own memories of time with her are overflowing with goodness. The assistance she now requires brings back my own past when she did the same for me. It is not always a good time, but the positives are right up front and happen often. She is happy and can easily come out of a stress-filled situation smiling, if I deal with it in a calm manner. 

Breaking my phone seems to happen way too often. Is it the quality of manufacture or just me being an oaf? That's up for debate. It was TRULY annoying since I already had the screen fixed, returned a defective phone, and in general, don't like my cell since day one. 

On a positive note, the repair will only cost a few dollars and doesn't require a professional to fix. this, for sure, isn't a huge negative, but in the larger picture, it added to the slew of things going on. 

The car breaking down was a real downer. I was not close to home, and the repair costs were over $700. It interrupted my work time so it cost more than the actual bill. 

The positive side of this was I broke down in a safe area that had a heated office to make calls (since it was a BAD cell area) and a safe area to keep the car until the tow vehicle arrives. The car actually started after a while, and I found my way to the nearest dealer for repair. The dealer provided a loaner car to get home and they were very nice to deal with. I got to sleep in my own bed. All in all, while the costs are a bit hard to swallow, the bad was far outdone by the good here. 

Do you get the idea yet? 

Whenever there is a bump in the road, there is ALWAYS something positive to offset the crap. If you focus on THAT, the negative will always seem a lot less imposing. Fill your head with positive thoughts and the bad will have no way to settle in. 

Besides, in six months, you will probably already have forgotten the event and the annoyance. Isn't THAT the test of just how significant a situation REALLY is??