Mondays And The Promise Of New Beginnings

Our culture is convinced that Mondays are the worst thing since trash cans and spoiled sardines. You don't have to buy into that.

The truth is, Mondays represent a fresh opportunity to start off on a strong note. Your children might be grumpy because of the awkward transition back into the work week and daily routines. You might be frustrated the alarm on your phone rang a little too loudly and too early this morning. You might be bleary-eyed and mentally foggy.

Never mind all of that. See Monday for what it really is: the ultimate reset button.

Nothing magical happens on Mondays. Wizards won't start walking down your driveway to grant you three wishes or to put away your dishes. (An unintentional rhyme.) You won't open your mailbox to find $1 million from Publishers Clearing House. And the odds are against a windfall that enables you to quit your job and live off of the interest, at least until your career is a little more mature.

Yet you do have one powerful asset: the ability to choose to be happy.

That's right. I just went out on a limb. Happiness is a choice. Pick up a newspaper or turn on the nightly news and, amid all the darkness, you'll find stories like that of Walter Carr. Walter, a hard-working Alabama man, walked at least 20 miles through the night to ensure he could make it to his new job on time.

He didn't blame anyone or rue the day he took that job. Walter simply kept walking and spreading a positive attitude wherever he went.

Since when have you appreciated your place in life like that -- your job, your family, your church?

Let's all take a big swig of Pull Yourself Together. It's Monday, people. This is only the beginning of a great new week.

Comments

The Sad Truth About Lost Family Time

Today as I drove to pick up Titus from Safety Camp, I noticed a funeral procession headed toward my car. I pulled over to the side of the road as had the other drivers around me out of respect for this family that had lost a beloved member. Life has a way of sobering us up to the reality that we are only here for a short time. Everyone's allocation is different and unpredictable. In recent months, with a fourth baby and a regularly evolving career, I have caught myself getting so caught up in checking boxes off my to-do list and ensuring everyone's needs are met -- including my own selfish desire for more, better, faster -- that I lose track of the moment. My children will only be little once. My laundry will most assuredly outlast me and probably my grandchildren. I have started asking myself a question when I am at home with my family. It haunts me, and that is why I ask it. I fear too few of us do it. The question is this: If this is the last time I am with the p...

'A Link Between Angels And Men'

I ran across a quote today that I think is particularly true and that parents know better than anyone: “A babe in the house is a well-spring of pleasure, a messenger of peace and love, a resting place for innocence on earth, a link between angels and men.” That observation comes from the English writer Martin Farquhar Tupper , who lived from 1810 to 1889 . How is it that those words still resonate nearly 130 years after his death? Perhaps it is because they capture the joy of a newborn. Few sights are as innocent as a baby fast asleep, a hand across the chest, tiny fingers spread out and still. Indeed, it is this restful and unimpeded state so many adults seek and so few seem to find. Another explanation for the power of the passage is this: We have become so accustomed to the violence and suffering in our world that we long for the opposite state of being. It is a reality accessible only in our imaginations--and in the lives of our children. No wonder we seek to give t...

The Hardest Thing About Parenting Is...

...Realizing you could have been kinder with your child. Or more empathetic. Or more affectionate. Or a better example, role model or spiritual anchor. Or less glued to technology that sucks away attention. Or far less selfish. The list could go on and on. The point is this: What are you doing now because of what you learned then? How are you bundling the raw, emotional energy -- of screwing up and veering off your vision for your family -- and converting it to action steps that get you back on track? A few suggestions: If you aren't leaning on your spouse, or a close circle of friends, or another trusted adviser, start leaning. Parenting is a lonely art without the wisdom of people who care about you and your family. Forget what everyone tells you. There are no parenting experts, only parenting experimenters operating on and recycling fundamental ideas that have been around for generations. Science and data are useful guideposts, but they can't replace th...

Thaw Your Baby: The Embryo Adoption Blog

Search This Blog