It’s Been A Rough Day

Side Note: On the day I wrote this I already had another blog written and ready to go; so this is not actually about last night, but the moral of the story is the same.

“Ugh. It’s been a rough day,” I said to my mom as I was driving home for work at 9:50 last night.

I was already frustrated because things had been hectic at work. The people before us had left projects half done; and we had a small rush right before close, which happened to be the exact time I decided to forget how to walk and ran into a freshly set floor-set, knocking half of the bottles on the floor. And now, at 9:50, I was bypassing my weekly trip to see Jess for a drink because I had to go home and make sure the printer I was having delivered from Amazon had actually made it to my door and wasn’t sitting outside the apartment complex waiting to walk away. I had been trying to get that printer delivered for 5 days now, but they didn’t have a key to my building and couldn’t give me an eta any more accurate than “between 8 am and 9 pm”–as if I could just sit around all day and wait for them to show up.

But here’s the thing. That was, what, 4 things that had gone wrong? What if I counted the things that had gone right?

Side Story

At the recommendation of my dietitian friend Jessi, I’ve begun reading (*cough* listening to on Audible *cough*) the book, “Body Kindness” by Rebecca Scritchfield. The focus of this book is that weight isn’t really as important as being healthy, and the easiest way to get healthy is to be happy. (I’m really paraphrasing here; you should read her book for the science behind this philosophy.)

One of the things the author asks you to do is make a “Body Kindness To Do List” and then do each of these things for a week straight, and see how they make you feel. I may go into the rest of the list later, but the one I wanted to talk about now is #5. Acknowledge 3 Joy Bombs in your life each day. “Joy Bomb,” by the way, is a term I picked up from a bible study a couple years ago, but basically it is something that brought you joy..

Back to our regularly scheduled programing

Here are the Joy Bombs that I experienced yesterday. (Spoiler alert: there are a lot more than 3.)

     1. Listening to my nephew be excited about having a baby sister.

     2. I started listening to the “Body Kindness” book and I LOVE it. I’m so excited to work through this book!

     3. I discovered 4 new blogs that I love.

     4. I discovered a new podcast that I can’t wait to jump into.

     5. I bought tickets to Hamilton.

     6. I discovered that our random hotel from Hotwire is literally right next door to the theater for Hamilton, so I won’t have to be walking very far late at night in a strange city.

     7. My printer DID get delivered!

     8. I can wear a shirt without irritating my sunburn again!

     9. I had time to put away the dishes and dice up my veggies for the week while I was home on lunch waiting for Amazon.

     10. I caught up on outlining my textbook.

Ten things not only went right, but brought me joy; and yet, at the end of the day, I was letting 4 things bring me down and get me frustrated.

One of the things I really want to work on with this Body Kindness program is changing my perspective, and that starts with acknowledging the good things, and not getting hung up on a few less-than-desirable moments.

What are three joy bombs that have occurred in your life today? Share them below!