Not Every Day Is a Good Day. Show Up Anyway.

Posted on by stilllearning2b
bad day

Having a bad day?

My hairdresser is usually an upbeat and positive woman. Her energy pulls me into the moment and her “bright side” approach helps me forget the fact that I seem to have a little more grey to cover every time.

Yesterday was different. Tears teased the corners of her eyes as she detailed all that had happened to her recently. She was valiantly trying to hold it together, but it was like her emotions were winning at tug-of-war, pulling her over the edge.

Finally, as she applied the last of my color, she wiped the corner of her left eye, picked up a curling iron and exclaimed,

“Damn it. I am going to be beautiful today.” 

And she was. I watched as her hair – and her face – transformed while we waited for my color to set. As each new ringlet was formed, her eyes became a little more determined and her expression became a little more hopeful.

It is a fact of life for all of us – bad days will happen.

Some bad days are of the, “I overslept and my car was rear ended on the way to work.” Other bad days fall into the, “I just buried my best friend” category. And in between those, there will be plenty of the, “I’m just not feeling it today” variety.

On those bad days, there is the temptation to crawl back under the covers and wait for the next sunrise to signal a do-over. Our minds feel pulled towards what’s not going right, thinking about it even past the point where thinking is needed. The plummet of our emotions seems as inevitable as a raft in whitewater poised at the top of a waterfall. We yearn to avoid the discomfort and so we try to distract with food, a drink or busyness. And the idea that things can be better is nothing but a distant possibility, so hazy that it seems like the false hope of a mirage.

Not every day is a good day.

Yet even if the chips are down and the tears are frequent, it is still YOUR day.

You can make the decision to show up anyway.

To proclaim, “Damn it. I am going to be present. I am going to persist. I am going to be positive.”

My husband likes to say that loyalty isn’t about being there when things are good; it is about being there when things are bad.

Be faithful to yourself.

Even on the bad days, show up.

And never confuse a bad day for a bad life.

 

Not Every Day Is a Good Day. Show Up Anyway.

Posted on by stilllearning2b
bad day

My hairdresser is usually an upbeat and positive woman. Her energy pulls me into the moment and her “bright side” approach helps me forget the fact that I seem to have a little more grey to cover every time.

Yesterday was different. Tears teased the corners of her eyes as she detailed all that had happened to her recently. She was valiantly trying to hold it together, but it was like her emotions were winning at tug-of-war, pulling her over the edge.

Finally, as she applied the last of my color, she wiped the corner of her left eye, picked up a curling iron and exclaimed,

“Damn it. I am going to be beautiful today.” 

And she was. I watched as her hair – and her face – transformed while we waited for my color to set. As each new ringlet was formed, her eyes became a little more determined and her expression became a little more hopeful.

 

It is a fact of life for all of us – bad days will happen.

Some bad days are of the, “I overslept and my car was rear ended on the way to work.” Other bad days fall into the, “I just buried my best friend” category. And in between those, there will be plenty of the, “I’m just not feeling it today” variety.

On those bad days, there is the temptation to crawl back under the covers and wait for the next sunrise to signal a do-over. Our minds feel pulled towards what’s not going right, thinking about it even past the point where thinking is needed. The plummet of our emotions seems as inevitable as a raft in whitewater poised at the top of a waterfall. We yearn to avoid the discomfort and so we try to distract with food, a drink or busyness. And the idea that things can be better is nothing but a distant possibility, so hazy that it seems like the false hope of a mirage.

Not every day is a good day.

Yet even if the chips are down and the tears are frequent, it is still YOUR day.

You can make the decision to show up anyway.

To proclaim, “Damn it. I am going to be present. I am going to persist. I am going to be positive.”

 

My husband likes to say that loyalty isn’t about being there when things are good; it is about being there when things are bad.

Be faithful to yourself.

Even on the bad days, show up.

And never confuse a bad day for a bad life.

 

 

Can’t Please Everybody

Posted on by stilllearning2b

The news that my school district will be closed for its fourth snow/ice day rolled in a couple of hours ago. Throughout the past couple weeks, as questionable weather has dominated, I’ve been keeping a close eye on the district’s Facebook page for information.

The updates have been pleasant and helpful.

The comments?

Not so much.

Today, parents are complaining that they weren’t given enough notice.

Last Friday, they complained that we were in school.

Last Thursday, they complained that school was cancelled.

I feel sorry for the system. No matter what decision they make and when they make it, they face criticism.

Because you can’t please everybody.

There’s a lesson in there for me. By my nature, I want to make people happy. I have a tendency to tiptoe around too much so that I’m not an imposition. I try to make decisions that make sense based on the information and that also make others satisfied. And, even though I’m making progress, I can still take criticism too personally.

Yet I doubt the school superintendent is reading these comments and questioning his decision. I can’t imagine he is losing sleep over the complaints that the school district is unable to control the weather. And the thought of him trying to please everybody in a large district is just laughable.

In fact, from my neutral, third-party perspective, it’s obvious that the dissent is simply coming out of frustration and/or fear.

It really has nothing to do with the school system at all.

And isn’t that usually the case?

Responses say more about the responder than the respondee.

And you can’t please everybody.

As for me, I’m just happy I don’t have to navigate any icy roads and I’m enjoying our first snow day with actual snow.