Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Thank you, Universe!

The past few days I've had several conversations that I REALLY needed to have.  It's like the Universe served me up a big platter of Good Advice with a healthy side of So-Pay-Attention-to-This.  Thank you, Universe!

One of these conversations just happened on our morning walk.  Kathy has been talking lately about some of the challenges facing her school this year--which is why her principal asked all the teachers in their faculty meeting last night to list ten things they like about teaching there.  And they all did.  Because they could.  They could all find things they liked.    And the exercise was a useful reminder of that.

This is not (cliche alert!) rocket science.  And if you're in a certain kind of cynical mood, it's easy to go pffft! Whatever!  But the fact is that choosing to be positive while handling difficult situations (which is not the same thing as going into denial) makes you feel better.

Although sometimes denial works, too . . .

4 comments:

Emily said...

I do this when I'm most depressed. I try to write at least one thing that's good. Then I focus on that.

For example, knowing a lady who's dream car is a Dr. Pepper van and then who freely admits that to the world.

How can you be depressed when there's people out there like that?

radagast said...

You are always one good thing in my life, Ann. Thanks for that!

Jeanna said...

Cookies help too.

Philsy C said...

Residency sucks. There's just no ands, ifs, buts, perhapses, or peut-etres about it. I think the end is the hardest because we are starting to have glimpses of what life is like without 100-hour work weeks and more than one week off a year. The thing I have taken to doing recently that seems to help out is to just repeat to myself the things I really love. Sort of a grown-up version of singing "My Favorite Things" to myself (however atonally). My top three: exercise, reading, drawing. Whenever I feel my brain spiraling, I try to "rewire" it by focusing on these and a few other things. My DP-swilling pirate of a mother is one of them. Love ya.