I had a revelation the other day, and from that I am working on become a more positive person. Too often I find myself focusing on the bad of each situation. In the moment, especially. So now, I am working on finding the good and making that my focus. The biggest struggle is going to be within my immediate response, and so that is where I need to work the most. I figure if I focus on finding the good right away, the rest will take care of itself.
As examples, I offer up, first, the event that started it all. My wee one poo'ed in the bath a while back and my first thoughts were how horrible this was. I had just cleaned the tub, well the whole bathroom, actually, earlier that day. Now, after putting my babe to bed for the night, I was going to have to tackle that smell, pick the poo's out of the tub and flush them and clean the tub all over again. For an hour that night, that was all I could think about. Then, once it was all taken care of, I was chatting with a friend and I realized the bonuses in the situation. Better in the bath than the bath towel or the fresh clean diaper. Better before going to bed than in the middle of the night.
More recently, I slipped on some ice and landed on my hands and one knee...my bad knee but that is a different issue. I had just left an appointment and was on my way to the car. In the amount of time it took me to walk across the street after my slip, I was already thinking how glad I was that my cell had been in my purse rather than still in my hand. It may seem monetary and trivial compared to other things I could have been grateful for. But not having to replace a three month old phone was it at that moment.
I find that my ability to focus on my gratitude so soon after my fall the other day shows great progress. Each and every day I am leaning from my child and growing into a better person. The kind of person I want my child to be.