I was painting some kids' cubbies in a church not long ago and ended up dropping an entire paint roller on their carpeted floor. In such moment, the better part of me finds ways to be thankful for the opportunity to overcome a challenge and react with patience and grace. In fact, the incident gave me an idea for a new writing project, and a little TikTok video. But some days the Devil likes to provide a little extra challenge. This was one of those days.
Once I finished the paint stain on the floor, it was pointed out to me that I had missed spots on the cubbies I had already completed. No problem - I'll get those with the second coat.Yes, we're still smiling here...
I gathered my things together and drove home, where my daughter came out to meet me. I handed her my coffee cup, forgetting it was not empty - and dumped a third of a cup of joe all over the front of my pants and entered the house to hear one of my kids was not feeling well, which would mean canceling our visit to the theme park that afternoon. In our house, the children typically get to watch TV shows on weekends, except when one is sick. Then there is a little more flexibility.
From the moment I walked in to hear child number six was unwell, I was beset upon by young people requesting show time. This day was not going how I'd planned it when I woke that morning.
By the end of the day, nothing went the way I'd envisioned for the morning - in fact, we spent the rest of the week fighting illness as it leapfrogged through the house, and missed two weeks of church because leap-frogging takes a little time in a house of nine. In spite of those challenges, I can't deny that perspective won the day and I was glad it was minor illnesses keeping us home, and those days at home allowed us to slow our pace a little.
When you feel like every little thing is going wrong, and the day has slid out from under you, and you just want a do-over - take a minute. Take a breath. Say a short prayer of thanksgiving for the chance to test your adversity (because perspective, right?) Redirect your focus. Be intentional about finding the good things you're being handed. Look for things you can be grateful for, look for ways you can change your perspective. This is one of those little tools I use to stay calm and "zen" when all the lemons hit my world at once. I hope it might help you so you can roll on too.
