FTP 25 - Importance of attitude

     Despite the past couple weeks of general brooding, I finally had a couple revelations about why my mood has been so down. While I'm working on what to do about them, however, it's definitely time to get back to a system that I've been using for a while now in order to get my attitude out of the dumpster. While I'm not condoning ignoring emotions or putting a false front on things (sometimes a good wallow in self-pity is healthy, as long as it doesn't last too long!), I do my best to look for positive things to say, even if I don't feel happy at the time.

No really... I mean it...

     Even if you don't feel it right then, you will start a habit of looking for the good things in life, and you'd be amazed how many positives there are out there once you start looking. So, here's to tomorrow being a better day- enjoy the hope now, even if it never comes to pass. Cheers!

Unexpected backstory

    As I've mentioned before, I have a habit of befriending generations before me, primarily (I believe) because I was raised to be polite. I take time to listen to people, and let them know that I really do appreciate hearing their stories, because you never know what you're going to learn. To be sure, sometimes you learn that you don't really want to continue that acquaintance, but there are some pretty powerful stories hidden in very unlikely places.

     Recently, as I was going downstairs to switch my laundry over, I ran into a gentleman with whom I'd exchanged pleasantries a number of times; typically I'd be on my way to work or school and he'd be leaning on the railing by his door. He seemed a nice enough person, always smiling or finding something positive to say, and I'd figured he was retired and in a similar financial situation to me- I can't imagine that anyone would live in this complex who could afford better. Today, however, I saw him sitting on the bench in the center of the building, and he mentioned he hadn't seen me in a while, so I wandered over to chat with him.

FTP 24 - Beginner's gap

     This has not been the best of weeks for me, so I'm cheating and offering up someone else's words of wisdom for consideration today. This one has helped me a lot over the last few years:

Drawings will return, at some point, I promise. I'm just fighting my way through some other stuff at the moment. Cheers!

Upbeat

     I part-time work at a small tax office in Colorado, and while we do get our share of grumpy, annoyed clients, there are also a number of them that accept that what we do is a necessary evil, and decide not to take it out on us (which is very, very appreciated!). Every now and then, though, someone will come in with such a unique attitude that they really merit comment.

     Recently, a woman came in to pick up her personal and business taxes. Our office is laid out a bit awkwardly: customers have to come all the way to the front desk in order to see if I or my co-worker (who is really the front-line of the company, not me!) are at our desks and able to help them. Today, we heard the bell on the door ring, but before either my co-worker (whom we'll call Mary for the sake of this story) or I could look around the partition, the customer had already come over and was smiling at us. She told Mary why she was there, and they started chatting as Mary got her paperwork together. When they got to the point where we recommend the client checks their routing number for direct deposit of a refund, she mentioned she was going through a divorce, and asked if she should do that, or wait for a paper check.

FTP 23 - Results vs effort

     This is something I have to make myself remember a lot. Really, it does get better. Keep going...