Friday, January 23, 2009

I've Got the Joy, Joy, Joyeeee Down in my Heart

I heard a great motivational speaker last night. His presentation was wonderful which made up for the fact that it was a black tie event that required me to find and don a pair of panty hose. Am I the only one who thinks of sausage when I squeeze those things up and around my midsection? Keith Harrell travels the country, talking about attitude and how it affects our whole being. I’ve sat through many a motivational/leadership presentation, and this guy was one of the best I’ve ever heard. He hammered away at the idea that we control ourselves, and if we allow someone else’s negative thoughts to weaken our performance or destroy our self confidence and happiness, it’s our own fault. It’s pretty much the same principle I had discussed earlier in the day at a support group meeting, so I was all Stuart Smalley by about ten o’clock last night. And when I got up this morning I was ready to put into play Mr. Harrell’s rule about not letting someone or something steal my joy. That was a little harder than I thought it would be. The joy thieves were everywhere.

-The silver Buick clogging up the left lane on the way to work-joy stealer. Again. What’s with that broad? Oops! Maybe I stole HER joy.
-iPod tuner out of reach on the floor of the car-another joy stealer.
-Lack of time to snag my Friday sausage biscuit on the way to work, leaving me with oatmeal instead-jumbo joy stealer.
-Only one cherry in my mid-morning fruit cocktail snack-Petty larceny. The quality of fruit cocktail is judged on the number of cherries in the can, you know.
-Bank balance even though it was payday-First degree felon. Thank you broken stove and busted radiator.
-Cranky clerk at drive thru window-Jumbo value sized joy thief.
-Unfinished project that will still be waiting on me when I get back to work Monday-HUGE joy stealer.
-And see this? This is the last of thirteen gazillion plants we got at the funeral home when Hubby’s grandma died several years ago. We’ve managed to kill the rest of them, and he really wants to keep this one alive. We don’t have a good place for it in our house, so each winter I take it from our deck and bring it to work where I have to remember to water the dadburn thing for about six months. This plant? J-O-Y-S-T-E-A-L-E-R. It saps the happy right out of me to look at that thing every day all day long worrying about whether or not I’ve killed it yet.

But ya’ know what? None of it fazed me much today. I managed to let all of that little stuff slide right by me. I managed to stay in good spirits by keeping Mr. Harrell’s pearls of wisdom in mind. Hmm. Maybe he’s right. This might work. We’ll see. The real test has just gotten underway. That’s right. Family. Can I make it throughout the rest of the evening without letting those potential happiness thieves rob me blind? It all depends on how hormonal Teen Angel is and whether or not she finishes her chores. Moody sixteen year old daughter? Persistent Felony Offender. Of course, she's also the biggest source of joy in my life.

7 comments:

Mike Golch said...

sounds like some needs a time out until that are 21!

Amy said...

As the lovely Erma Bombeck said, "If you can't make it better, you can laugh at it!" :)

And no, you are not the only one that thinks of sausage while squeezing into a pair of pantyhose.;)

J.G. said...

Hang onto your good attitude! Not easy to do, but worth it. :-)

Trailboss said...

Love the "joystealer" term. Gotta use that one. Hey, try hanging out with my 17yr old daughter. Talk about raging hormones! And chores??? She acts like she has forgotten what they are even though the list is posted on the fridge!

Mia said...

oh those teens are a double-edged sword no?

karisma said...

Hehe! I came across this philosophy a couple of years back! I think SB thinks I have been possessed! LOL! Its a rarity these days that I "allow" someone to make me feel bad! I choose to smile and keep looking up! Life tries to shit me on a daily basis! But life can go get stuffed! I spent the first 37 years of my life worrying about everyone and everything else! ITS MY TURN! And I like to smile God damn it, so I will!

And yes your joy stuffer uppers there were pretty low key trivial. I shall only put one in for the plant! Its pot is far too small! Either get it a much bigger pot or plant it in the ground, going with your record there, the ground sounds like the safe bet! And talk to it for gods sake, it needs some love! Give it a kiss from me please! I positively think it will get better and grow big and strong! Hugs xxxx

Anonymous said...

This Keith Harrell sounds like he applies the same principles in life as Joel Osteen. Don't let anyone steal your joy or don't give anyone your power. Sounds great, but hard to do, takes lots of patience and practice. Buttttttt- you can do it, I know you can!!!!