That’s Good ... No, that’s Bad

Do you remember reading the story called, “That’s Good, No, that’s Bad”?  It’s a story about a little boy who has all of these situations occur back-to-back that either become “good” or “bad”.  For instance, he gets a balloon—that’s good right?  No, that’s bad—it takes him away from his family.  The adventure continues until **spoiler** he is reunited with his family in the end.

Well I have been having a few “good”and “bad moments over the last 24 hours.

Let me explain.

I snuck away yesterday to visit one of my best friends.  My college friend Sam. That was good on many levels.  I made it to her hotel—she’s attending a teacher conference nearby.  So that was “good”.  (Anyone going through the process of the healing after a colostomy reversal will appreciate making it to your destination with no problems.)

But literally the moment we got to her room, my tummy became active—for the next 3 hours.  So that was bad.

We needed to eat- so we ordered our food and Sam walked down to Joe’s Crab Shack and picked up supper.  It was delish!!! Grilled salmon, fresh steamed broccoli, and dirty rice.  Sam’s meal was a variety of fish and shrimp, and it looked yummy.  So the fact that we couldn’t go out didn’t keep us from a fabulous meal.  So that was good.

We had fun just hanging out in our jammies and catching up with our lives and our children’s lives.  You know it’s great to spend time with someone you have done life with for 30 years.  That was great!

This morning we said our goodbyes and she went off to her conference.  I on the other hand accidentally sideswiped a pole.  So now my van has a lovely dent and is missing paint.  So that’s bad.

I had to stop at the dentist and have 2 cavities filled. Not exactly sure how to rate that one. There was no pain, and my cavities are taken care of—so I’ll say that’s good.

All of these life events could effect our mood, get us down, or bring us happiness.

If we allowed our lives to be directed by the “good” and “bad”, we would be emotionally bankrupt by the end of the day.  Instead we need to realize that even though we may not be able to control “bad” things from happening, we can control our reactions.

I could have spent last night upset that we couldn’t go out to a restaurant, but instead we had a yummy meal in our hotel and had great girlfriend time.  I could have gotten upset at my accident with the pole, and while I’m not jumping up and down, it could have been so much worse, for that I am grateful.

Life is too short to waste it walking around angry and mad, look for the positives.

Find the “good” when life throws you the “bad”.

Julie