Attitude

It occurs to me (duh!) that in the throes of plumbing hell, I haven't spent much time at all in the past 4 days ruminating about myself or my disease. I have not had time or inclination to deal with "how I feel" or "what the future will bring" or anything but getting the right people out here to fix my septic system.

Keeping busy with the details of life has a salubrious effect on attitude. Yes, it's been stressful, but it sure beats dwelling on oneself ad nauseum to the point of self-pity and despair. And to be honest, those times have been mercifully brief, and lessen with each day passing.

My default position is optimism--it just makes life so much more fun! While complaining creates better copy and funnier jokes, it colors outlook and promotes a spiral of negative thoughts. I just don't want to go there, now or in the future. I feel stronger each day, and the small things I have to put up with are no big deal in the long run.

I have so much to be thankful for, and that's where I want to concentrate my energy. I look at it as a matter of choice--I don't have any control over what happens to me, but I do get to choose how I will feel about it. I want to be thankful everyday for what I have, and move through the world with confidence and verve and zest!