Upside-Down Eyeballs

I was gonna give this entry a couple other titles. Like "Suck it up, Princess" or "Bitch Fest"...but I didn't want to sound negative. heheh

This morning, while waiting with the girls for their bus, my neighbor said "Sooo...what do you think of this humid weather!?!" (it's been around 41C/106F with the humidity) "I LOVE IT!" I beamed.

"What??" her mouth dropped open "But it's sooo humid and HOT! Oh...I can't stand it!"

You've GOT to be kidding me!

Did she not just experience the last 6 months of snow and cold? These are the first hot days of the year...and she's complaining???! Didn't we both whine and complain about the snow just a couple months ago? She has central air, as do I. (Those without A/C have full permission to be frustrated with the heat..by the way) This city is a lush green ball....huge flowering trees and bushes, ferns, and all matter of green-ity. (I just made that word up) It's gorgeous! You can wear shorts and a tank top...no need for a jacket even in the evenings. It's heaven after the cold and snow...and we only get until the end of August to enjoy it. WHY DO PEOPLE CHOOSE TO BITCH??

Seriously...what is WRONG with people? Hand them a rose, and they will spend a day talking about the thorn that pricked their finger. (this happened to me yesterday, by the way!)Thorns happen, people....but what are you choosing to stare at?! The band aid on your finger...or the gorgeous flower on the kitchen table?

It's about perspective. You can find negativity in anything....really...you can.

I'm just as guilty of it. I can walk into a church and think about how differently I'd prefer it to be. How the worship isn't as I'd prefer....how the guy doing the announcements annoyed me. I can walk out, sit in the car, and say "Well...THAT bothered me!" It's easy to do. In fact, I've spent YEARS doing it.

But guess what? It shows my great lack of character. Because I DO have other options. I can think about how I had that one quiet moment with God during the last song that made me feel like He and I were alone. I can think about how much I got from the pastor's words. I can sit back in the midst of a worship-time that is not my style...and ask God "God...tell me what you LOVE about these people? Why do You love being here?" and listen to Him gush about these faithful awesome-hearted people who really only want to Love Him well.

Perspective. Upside down eyeballs

And here's what you may not know. Positive people aren't just naturally positive. They have to do a little thing...that I like to call the "Kick your own Ass". There are plenty of times when I have to be my own ass-kicker...look in the mirror and say "Look, princess....this isn't about you." or "Do you want to be known as that person who is constantly complaining?" or "Yvonne....show some freakin' character and stop being negative all the time."

My Inner Ass-kicker isn't always polite. But she's right. She's the Holy Spirit in me....speaking truth. Wisdom. Perspective. It doesn't mean that bad things don't happen. Tragic things. It doesn't mean that I don't sometimes want to stay in bed all day. It doesn't mean that I don't cry at the drop of a hat because I'm overwhelmed with sadness....but....I can choose to spend my day thinking about the thing that one person said to hurt me...or pray, give it up, and concentrate on the 5 people who I know love me no-matter-what.

Have you lost a child before? Count yourself blessed. Are you living with illness? Then you are lucky! Are you without income? (or just waiting for the next for-certain-cheque to arrive...cuz there's a difference between having "no money" and "waiting for money") Did you have a childhood so traumatic that you feel you won't ever have a normal relationship? If not...then wow....how fortunate you can feel.

When it comes to the little things...like the weather....the price of gas.....theological issues that really don't matter much in the big scheme of things....or the thorn that just gave me an owie..well....it's time to flip your thinking. Yes...gas costs more. More than ever in history. And it sucks. But you're still driving a car (or two!) and living in a set of circumstances that only a small percent of the world can only claim. 2.8 billion people are living on less than two dollars a day. You spend twice that on just one coffee at Starbucks (or 5x that at McDonald's for lunch).

So the next time you start to complain about the weather ....please....STOP! Cuz you and I certainly do need to flip our eyeballs.