Obsessively Grateful

I have not so good days. Sometimes I even have terrible days. I’ve noticed that there is one thing that determines the kind of day I have.

It’s not the amount of things I check off my list, or the way my kids behave, or even the way I’m treated by others. (Though I’ve been known to blame my lack of a good days on these things in my weakness.) What it really comes down to is MY attitude. I can’t really be accountable for anything else.

Today I woke up tired. I started the day off with a bad attitude. “Why did you wake me up?” I questioned my husband. (Not his fault)

I got up and stomped around the house picking things up and wondered why my kids had to be so messy.

I laid down on the lower bunk in my boy’s room and tried to have a better outlook. Talked to my youngest about his cardboard sword that he proudly made the previous day. Somehow I accidentally drifted off to sleep. I awoke to my other son asking for me to type the password on the computer so he could start his precious screen time for the day.

“Have you done your chore?”

“Yes,  I organized the hall closet like you asked me to.”

I grogily typed out the password on the keyboard then headed toward my bedroom. As I passed the open hall closet I noticed it was not at all up to my standard of organized and proceeded to have a fit. “Are you kidding me?” I yelled across the house. I continued to my room to get some backup support from my husband and muttered some untrue “choice words” about my children. After I spewed those words I realized how ridiculous I was acting.  The words from sister-in-law came to my mind saying: if she expected her kids to help, she also had to be ok with the way they helped or lovingly teach them a new way.

I decided that the quickest way to change the direction of my day was to change me.

Instead of going out and yelling at my son, I scrawled out “Be Obsessively Grateful” on our chalkboard. (A phrase that struck a chord with me while scrolling online one day.) Being grateful for things is the quickest way for me to change my attitude.

I went over and sat in front of my son.

He started rattling off the improvements he had made to the closet as I sat with my mouth closed. “What are you thinking Mom?”

I just responded with “I love you.”

There will be other days better devoted to going over the virtues of tidy closets, but today I’m thankful for my kids. I’m thankful they are quick to forgive a grumpy mom. I’m thankful for the opportunity I have to spend so much time with them.

Later in the day, my husband read what I wrote on the board and asked, “Did you mean to write ‘Be excessively grateful’?” Nope- obsessively. I don’t think it’s possible to be excessively grateful. You can never be too grateful. Not possible.

I want to be obsessively, always-thinking-of-the-good-things, counting-my-blessings-&-giving-thanks-for-them, kind of grateful. Pretty sure I’ve found the secret to many more great days to come.