Shifting focus

These past few days it's been rainy and dreary here. Those gray days can cause people to become depressed and I've found, if I'm not careful, I can fall into that trap easily. That's why I make sure to turn on more lights and find something to do to keep my mind busy. Instead of looking at those rainy days as bothersome or in a negative light, I'm trying to shift my focus so that I see things like that as blessings. My new motto for this year has become "Look for the positive in the negative." 

Adopting that motto hasn't been easy, in fact, it's been quite difficult. I've been dealing with a lot of health challenges this year and if I'm honest, there's been a lot of negativity with those. I have to choose to look for positive things each day. Doing that helps. If I didn't look for good things to focus on, I'd be a mess!

I'm thankful I have a strong faith. God has given me the strength to endure so much over the past 12 years. Without Him, I would never be able to find positivity in negative situations. 

There are so many old sayings that deal with the topic of positive vs. negative:  

"Look on the bright side"

"Every cloud has a silver lining" 

I could go on and on, but you get the idea. 

Why is it so easy to focus on the negative? I don't know, but I think it may have to do with the fact that we're weak humans. Some people are born with rose colored glasses on. I used to call myself a Pollyanna, but the older I get and the more aches and pains I have, I don't call myself that anymore. In fact, my rose colored glasses are currently sitting on a file cabinet in my office. As I type this, I can see them out of the corner of my eye. (Yes, I really do have a pair of rose colored glasses! I bought them so I could wear them on bleak days and remind myself to look for good things.) 

If you've never worn rose colored glasses, you should try it. Looking out through soft pink lenses changes your perspective drastically. I really like them and if I was brave enough, I'd have my prescription lenses tinted with pink so I could wear them every day. Maybe one day in the future, I'll do it! 

Something that's helped me is to keep a small gratitude list each day. At the end of the day, I try to find 3 things that were positive from the day. As I write them down, I also make sure to share them with a friend and she shares hers with me. It's become a wonderful way to end the day. 

Positivity is definitely more fun than negativity! If you're struggling, try doing the gratitude thing. At the end of your day, think about it. Were there 3 things that you enjoyed or felt had been small blessings? If so, write them down. Do this exercise for a month and see if it doesn't help you. I think it will. 

Listening to your aging body talk is hard

 Warning: Negativity ahead!

 I'm till having health issues related to the hiatal hernia repair surgery. Went in for an endoscopy yesterday and they found several growths and biopsied them. I won't hear back for about 10 days they said. I'm concerned. There's always a niggling concern of a recurrence of cancer in the back of my mind. I know God's in control and I'm doing my best to trust Him completely but sometimes, that little prickly voice of Satan whispers negativity to me. I try to tune it out by focusing more on the Word. When I get all this junk straightened out, I'll have the knee surgery. I'm barely able to walk now and have started having hip pain a good deal. If it weren't for a special off loading knee brace, I wouldn't be able to walk at all. It sucks getting old. 

God's been teaching me to look for the positive in the negative lately. I don't know if I'm a good student or not. It seems He has to keep emphasizing this message to me. Hopefully, I learn it soon. With that in mind, I'll mention three positive things from today: 

1. My husband and I got up early to walk in a local park. Walking early is easier. The longer I'm on my leg, the more it hurts. 

2. We saw lots of beautiful blossoms popping out on shrubs and trees as we drove through our old neighborhood. It's wonderful to see them each year. I think God calls them forth into bloom every year right before Easter (Resurrection Day) so we can be reminded to thank and praise Him. 

3. After completely housework, we sat outside on the back porch and enjoyed some time reading. It's nice to share that time together each day. 

 

Attitude is everything

In two weeks I'll see the oncologist again. For the past couple of years, it's been an ongoing thing. When cancer comes into your life, so do the doctors, and the nurses, and the labs...and while all these repetitive visits get to be a royal pain in the rear, they're a necessary evil. The doctors just want to keep tabs on things. They want to make sure cancer isn't trying to rear its ugly head again. And even though I'd rather not be continually poked and prodded, I know it's for my benefit so I suck it up and deal with it. I've learned it's important to keep a positive attitude.

One of the best ways I've found to stay positive is to begin each day by being thankful. I spend the first minutes of every day being grateful for all of God's blessings in my life. Gratitude helps me get things in perspective and keep them there. Attitude is everything.

It's hard to stay in a positive frame of mind when things in our lives aren't in our control but, being a person of faith, I know God uses all things for my benefit...the good and the bad, the easy and the hard. When I look at life this way, it's easier to accept the things I can't control or change. I've noticed when I focus on the positive, my day goes smoother, my load seems lighter. When I focus negatively or complain about things, every single thing seems to weigh heavily on my heart. I'd rather be happy than sad any day, so I choose to look for the silver lining in every gray cloud.

I'm hoping, when I see the oncologist on March 1, he'll tell me I don't have to come see him again for six months or even better than that, for an entire year. If I get that news, I'll be skipping out of his office with a great big grin on my face and I'll be celebrating my progress. Gotta keep believing that good things are around the corner! Hope and gratitude are my constant companions.