The Choice is Your Own

Here in the low-country of SC, simply walking out the door feels like walking straight into a thick wall of heat and humidity that smacks you in the face and then makes you feel as though you cannot breathe. This wall lets me know, within my first hour of being out of bed, that I have a choice: either deal with it or let it ruin my day.

Yes, y'all, I am one of those people who used to let things, of which I have no control, determine the attitude that would accompany me throughout my day. If I experienced a negative encounter with another person, my mood would change. If the weather was hot and humid, my mood would change. If something didn't go as I expected, my mood would change. Sometimes, I would have a bad mood before my first foot out of the bed hit the floor.Dang if I wasn't a Judy Moody.

Stupid? Oh, absolutely. How absurd to let things that we have zero control over, control our attitude. How absurd to believe that we can, or should, try to change people or control what they do with our attitude. How absurd to believe that we can make others do our bidding by having a bad attitude.

I have often thought that I was the only person in the world who was like that, but I wasn't. Not that that justified my behavior, but it did weigh in on my awareness that allowing things over which I have no control determine my attitude for the day was just about the dumbest thing I'd ever done.

So, I stopped. I know that I can control only one thing- ME. And that's what I do. I finally realized that, when I let my attitude be controlled by anything or anyone else, I cannot see the beauty in my day. When I am too busy deciding to be in a bad mood or selfish or arrogant or bothered, I cannot see the beauty. When I participate in gossip and have ill thoughts, I miss the beauty. When I have expectations, I miss the beauty.

There is always beauty surrounding us every single minute of our lives. It comes in nature, at home during quiet times and family time, with our pets and neighbors. It comes at work with our co-workers, the work itself and with our bosses. It happens in the community. Beauty is everywhere. All we have to do is take off our blinders of selfishness, arrogance and expectations.

Breaking free of the chains, taking off the blinders, is exhilarating and contagious. The negative side of life will continually try to draw you over to the dark side, but refusing to give the negative our attention frees us to see the beauty all around us.

This summer, instead of dreading the heat and humidity and the start up of school in August, I am focusing on the beauty that surrounds me. I've fallen into the dread a couple of times but they were extremely brief. And the beauty has been in everything.

I've seen it in the sunrise walks on the beach. I've seen it in Tucker when he runs fast and free on the beach. I've seen it and heard it while interacting with the two lovelies who live here and when they interact with each other. I've seen and heard it in the birds as they welcome each new day with their chirping songs of of joy and as they feast on the seed left for them on the deck. I've seen it in the squirrels as they frolic and chase each other round and round the tree trunks. I've felt it in the morning breezes that bring a coolness to the start of the day. I've seen it in the trees as they perform their wind dance during those morning breezes and when a storm is brewing. I've smelled it in the air at the beach and during those impending summer storms. I've even seen it on television as our community pulled together in peace and unity following a tragedy.

Beauty is around us every day. All we have to do is make the choice to see it.

Where are you seeing the beauty this summer?