Seeing the bright side of things...

As I have mentioned in previous posts, my one word for 2009 is SHINE. And in an effort to shine, I feel it is necessary to to do my best to rid as much negativity from my life as possible. One way I am doing that each day is for every situation that comes up that seems negative I am flipping it around to see the bright side of it. For example,

It is snowing yet again here today...a lot. I don't think we have seen bare ground since mid-December. 

Bright side: Winter is only a few months. And once we make it through winter we have three other distinct, glorious seasons we get to enjoy in New England!

The economy is affecting everyone, of course. And it is making things very difficult at work.

Bright side: I still have a good job to go to every day, that helps to pay our bills. And I like my co-workers. And I like what I do!

Like most families out there, we have some degree of dysfunction going on.

Bright side: We are still a tight-knit family who never misses family dinners together, who talks to each other every day, and who never ends a phone call or says goodbye without saying "I love you."

Due to the economy, we may not be able to take the "big" anniversary trip that we wanted to take this year.

Bright side: We will be celebrating ten years of marriage this year, we are each other's best friend, and we get closer and closer every year!

Bailey puked in the living room this morning.

Bright side: We have this precious little creature that has brought so much joy in to our lives and loves us unconditionally!

One of my old camp friends posted a bunch of camp pictures on Facebook recently. It was so great to see the pics, yet kind of sad that the camp no longer exists and we only "see" each other through a computer.

Bright side: Because of the advances in technology and the popularity of social networking, re-connecting with old friends has become easier than ever!

See what I mean? There IS a silver lining to every cloud. Sometimes you may have to look really hard to find it, but it is there. And how much nicer would the world be if we all tried to look on the bright side of things?! I challenge you to try it. In just a few short weeks of making a conscious effort to do this I feel so much better. I am happier, less stressed, and more at peace with myself. Seeing the positive in every situation is even physically better for you. We can all find ways to SHINE every day!