Isaac Newton’s 3rd Law of Motion is: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
I have been known to be a grouch at times, maybe even a curmudgeon or as my kids likes to call me, Debbie Downer. I tend to pessimistically see the glass as half empty.
I was thinking of Newton’s 3rd law today and I realized that it is also a way of looking at life–what am I thankful for as opposed to what I complain about. There are always two ways of looking at the same situation. Let me give examples: I hate having to take care of the yard/ I love having a beautiful yard; I hate my old clunker car/ I am thankful I have a vehicle to drive to work; the children in my class drive me up the wall/ I’m thankful for each child I get to teach, support and influence; I’m so tired of my back hurting all the time/ I am thankful for my health despite my sore back. I was going over the long list of things I like to grumble at and realized that each item has something I can also be thankful for. It all depends on how I choose to look at it.
A friend of mine, Patrick Geracie who is a wise counselor, wrote in one of his blogs the importance of writing 4 or 5 things in a journal each day that you are thankful for. After a period of time your overall attitude will change and you will likely be a happier person. My journal includes things like: the Patriots lost; the kid who keeps hot-rodding his car down my road just got pulled over by the sheriff; the granddaughter’s elementary school violin recital got cancelled. I think that I am doing quite well.
While it may take me awhile to grow out of my Mr. Grouchy persona, I think back on people whom I have known who: 1) were always negative and always bitter. They had a pained look on their face which told me that they weren’t happy inside. Unfortunately they chose to have this attitude up to their death. 2) There were those who even in time of trials chose to have a positive attitude, a friendly smile, a cheerful voice and a thankful heart. Which were the people I wanted to be around and which did I try to avoid?
So my grandkids don’t put on my tombstone, “He was a grouch,” I am working on today’s 5 thankful entries. Let’s see, “I’m thankful that I don’t need to wash, comb and style my hair everyday and I’m thankful that I’m done with $15.00 haircuts.” Yah, that’s a good one.
To read Patrick’s blog go to: https://patrickgeracie.wordpress.com/2012/07/14/thanks-2/
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