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A friend's blog post yesterday talked about focusing on her lover's good "small actions" rather than his bad "small actions." I've found that focusing on small GOOD things in life over small BAD things isn't just a "nice" thing to do...it's MANDITORY for a healthy life.
"The Secret" is a recent popular film/book that talks about how "Thoughts become Things." It's true but it's nothing new. Check out the following quote:
"When I focus on what's good today, I have a good day, and when I focus on what's bad, I have a bad day. If I focus on a problem, the problem increases; if I focus on the answer, the answer increases."
Is this some new mumbo jumbo, new age spirituality? Nope. Written in 1939 -- by a recovering alcoholic and printed in AA's Big Book! It works too. Anyone who is out there struggling with anything today, just take ONE day and focus your mind continually on something...ANYTHING that you have in your life that you're grateful for. Watch your day get better and better. Watch how people will begin treating you differently. If something bad does happen, shrug it off immediately and move onto some positive thoughts again. It works.
So, let's look at my yesterday and the opportunity for "focus." (ED NOTE: this ran way longer than I intended, so indulge me or not but writing this all out helps ME to focus my thoughts and might help give someone struggling with my point a better idea of what I'm trying to say)
- a friend [he’s actually more than merely a “friend” but for anonymity purposes I can’t go into all the things we share in common or who he is…and no, it’s not romantic!) gave me a ride to a morning meeting of fantastic people. We rode from my condo to the meeting along Pacific Coast Highway.
- I'm currently (temporarily) without transportation. I sometimes feel like a loser for not having a car even though I have the resources to get one, circumstances have not yet allowed it.
- We stopped for coffee (which I offered to buy for him giving me a ride). Walking out, I bumped into someone who is known in Hollywood for his work -- but who I know through a men's retreat that I attend each year in Santa Barbara. I said hello and asked if I'd see him this year. He appeared to be struggling with our "common ailment" and asked when the retreat was. I told him and we said goodbye.
- I had a nice online chat with a girl I’ve recently met, became pen pals with, and enjoy talking to. We have a lot in common and she lives up in LA, so not too far away to meet (hopefully someday soon).
- My baseball team played like SHIT and lost to one of our most heated rivalries (crosstown) and have now lost 4 of their last 5 games.
- My baseball team is still in first place by a comfortable margin and may still have baseball's best record. They've been playing without 2 of their best players. They play in prime time (again) tonight and I'll get to watch them on my 50" plasma TV.
- Just about ready to go for a run along the ocean, a friend calls with news that she heard of my transportation difficulties and currently has 2 cars, one of which she has no need of for a month. It's been sitting since she purchased her new car for nearly a year and she offered to let me use it until I find something. I had to cancel my run but now have temporarily solved my transportation "crisis." My friend and I had a great discussion as I drove her home about her upcoming plans. She's quit her 6-figure job that she's had for 9 years without having another job lined up so that she can travel and take some time to get to know herself and enjoy life. A couple years back, she woke up one day (not long after experiencing a painful miscarriage) and discovered that her husband had gotten himself $140,000 in debt from gambling (but he claimed not to have a gambling problem) - she tried to get things working but ended up having to divorce.
- My new roommate brought over a girl (his girlfriend I guess???) for the 3rd time in 7 days. She didn't stay overnight last night but did twice this week - WITH her 3 week old baby (who is not my roommates). I am concerned with the situation (and he's not offered me any explanation) because I'm "in this" for a roommate, not a family, living in my spare room.
- I swam for 3/4 of a mile in the pool in my condo complex. I had the whole pool to myself and swam the first 20 laps without needing to stop to rest. Afterwards, I relaxed my muscles in the Jacuzzi for 15 minutes.
- thoughts of someone I care for, who had to cut off our interactions due to complications in her relationship, plagued me for a while. What does the future hold for us or will there never be any closure?
- I made myself a fantastic and relatively healthy dinner and ate it while watching a classic great film. I wanted to drink wine with it but was able to shrug the thought off, since I'm attempting to drink less and cut some weight off of me.
- My home alarm went off with a warning at 2 AM because of an issue with my phone line. They’d assured me that if I hit some buttons during the day that it would stop going off in the middle of the night but it hasn’t. GRRRR.
- I slept in a bit today and woke today feeling physically great and rested. I'm a bit nervous heading out now for a distance run (7.5 miles) and hope that the heat doesn't become too bad. I get to run a good portion of my route along the ocean!
So, was yesterday a "Good Day" or a "Bad Day?" I'm sure a case could be made (even in my mind) for each. Today, I chose to focus on the positives of what happened yesterday and what I'm going through today. I encourage you to do the same as we trudge the road of happy destiny!!!
Current Mood: 
thankful
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