ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT

TODAY: Take a few minutes to think about what is positive about your day’s agenda. At the end of the day, list five things about the day for which you were grateful. Close your day with a prayer of thanks.

It was a few weeks before Christmas, and I had several errands to run. I was dreading the loss of productive time, especially the many minutes I knew I’d be stuck in traffic. As I pulled out of the driveway, I realized I just couldn’t start the day feeling so frustrated. It was time for an attitude adjustment: What was positive about the morning agenda?

Well, it was a sunny day, I was driving a reliable car, and I was healthy. I could listen to the radio or organize my thoughts without interruption. Two of my errands concerned my children, and I smiled just thinking of them. Another errand was a Costco run to buy food for the Cub Scouts to pack into bag lunches for Reston Interfaith – how wonderful to be able to help others!

I would follow that up with a trip to the grocery store and then make a final stop in preparation for special houseguests, my sister and brother-in-law – what a blessing to know I can feed my family and open our home to visitors! I also knew my errands would provide some funny stories to tell my husband that night, and those moments of shared laughter would be the perfect end to the day.

God has given me so much – my family, my friends, our church and our community. He has blessed me with the time, energy and resources to care for those I love and to share God’s love with others.

It just took a moment for me to adjust my attitude, but what an investment! It didn’t lessen the traffic or shorten the lines, but approaching my day with gratitude made the whole experience an exercise in praise and thanksgiving.

— Sue Warrick

Courtesy of The Church of the Good Shepherd United Methodist