A Worthwhile Experience

How I did: I had finished my post and was on my way to work yesterday filled with the desire to choose happiness, when I hit traffic.  If there is one thing that frustrates me and sucks the happiness out of my day it is having to deal with less than stellar drivers.  

On a normal day I would have shaken my head at them and when the opportunity arose I would have made eye contact and mouthed the words, "Don't be so rude!"  But I was in happiness mode and I was not going to let them take that away from me!  So I turned the radio on to some good music, I still shook my head at them, but instead of telling them they were rude I told them to have a happy day.  I'll be honest, it was through a smile of gritted teeth, but I'm sure they weren't aware of that.  

Amazingly, a few of them mouthed the word, "Sorry" with a sheepish look on their face.  Others were not so kind and just turned away. However, it was my reaction that surprised me the most. I started to feel sorry for these rude people.  I wondered what could be happening in their lives that would make them behave like this. I found myself on a mission to bring them a little bit of happiness.  That is when my fake smile turned into a real effort to change some one's heart.  It is interesting that it took a change in my heart to bring that about.

I had been given the opportunity to see the situation in a different light.  This led me to think about other areas in my life that I needed to change my attitude about.  One such area is work.  I am not always excited about the chance to work, especially when it comes to the chores around the house.  I catch myself thinking that surely there is more to my life than laundry and dishes!  Well, this scripture helped me put it in perspective.

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 2:24

There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God.

Then I came across this quote.

Quote: 
Find time in each day to see beauty and love in the world around you. Realize that what you feel you lack in one regard may be more than compensated for in another. See your future filled with promise and possibility.  Learn to view everything as a worthwhile experience.
Sandra Sturtz Hauss

And I got a little motivation from one of my favorite childhood movies Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Watch the mouse and the spider's reactions, I think that is me sometimes!

My goal today:  To make every experience, even work, a worthwhile experience!