If you concentrate on finding whatever is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul. – Rabbi Harold Kushner
I’m not going to lie….I’m not feeling one bit grateful right now. In fact, I’m a huge seething ball of anger and resentment. “Over what?” you may ask. Well that’s what’s funny. I’m reacting directly to the actions of another person, and I’m blogging about it because I think it’s important to know that even though I talk about being positive, talk about being 
grateful and talk about not letting your emotions be controlled by the actions of others – none of that means it comes any easier for me than it does for anybody else.
Nobody goes around in a perfectly happy, sunshiney mood 24 hours a day. It’s virtually impossible. I have some things going on today, right now, that have put me in a “mood to end all moods,” and it’s not a good mood. Those things happen. What happens next though…that’s what’s important. I can choose to hold on to this horrible mood for the rest of the day. I have that right. These are my emotions and nobody an take that away from me. But the question is, do I WANT to hang on to this mood? No, I really, really don’t. So I’m acknowledging the fact that I am in a mood, I’m looking at the underlying reasons, and now, I’m making a choice to focus on something else.
I think it’s important to acknowledge and accept the “blechiness” when it happens. Just like I think it’s important not to focus on it. So instead, I’m going to look for good things in my life, and find things for which I am grateful, and when it comes right down to it, I have a LOT of things to be grateful for. I’m choosing to focus on them because the more gratitude I feel, the more it will positive happy feelings will come back to me. It may start out slow, like a small candle flame trying to illuminate a dark room, but eventually that light will take hold and fill my soul.
