Public Service Announcement.

Ahhhh...so much in my head right now. About life. About how it's hard... About how the sailing is never smooth...and that storms can come up at a moment's notice...and how they can disappear just as rapidly. And that storm you sailed through today? Yeah, there will be more. And maybe they won't be as severe...but maybe they will be even bigger and the storm you just fought wasn't all that bad. Even though it seemed like your sails were about to shred to pieces...you persevered. And you will again.

It's life. It's hard.





Perspective. That's where it is at.

Today in a fifth grade classroom we talked about hurtful words. The teacher told the students to imagine a  piece of wood. It can be gleaming mahogany or a piece of scrap lumber. Now imagine that you pick up your hammer and pound a nail into the wood. Then tomorrow you hammer in another nail. Then maybe another one this weekend and another nail next month. Now, take your hammer and pull the nails out. How's the wood looking? It's still the same size and it's still the same color. But it is peppered with holes. The nails were the hurtful words and actions. And while apologies may have pulled the nails out of the wood, just as the hammer did, the wood is no longer the same.

Glennon, the writer of the Momastery blog, is celebrating today and reduced the price of her book to less than $4. As a long time blog follower, I took the opportunity and bought Carry On, Warrior this afternoon. Then I promptly curled up in my bed and read almost all of it today. I was having a rotten day for no good reason. I couldn't bring myself to vacuum, I couldn't bring myself to make the phone calls that need making. All I could do was lay in bed and read. In the book Glennon talks about the worst day of her sister's life - the day her marriage ended. She talks about how for months she did everything she could to protect her sister. She talks about the right things to say and the common catchphrases you should never use when faced with your loved one's catastrophes.

And then I read Katie's blog about how last week she ranted and complained and everything was wrong and the world was surely ending. Today she deleted that post and took a new stance - a stance where all the same problems and stress exist but she was choosing a new outlook and a new attitude.





Eventually, I pulled myself out of bed and put on my workout clothes. I didn't want to, but deep down I knew that for me the gym always makes me feel better. Tonight it made me feel great. For over an hour I pounded on the treadmill and thought about everything I had read and thought today. And I came home feeling better. I had  gained just a little bit of perspective, which seems like a lot when you start with none. As the evening wore on I was able to get a bit more perspective and hopefully passed on a smidge of it to another soul that was in need.

This has been your public service announcement for the day. You're welcome.