Fighting the good fight

I’ve had a few challenges in recent weeks. It’s been nothing earth-shattering, just the usual work and home highs and lows that we all face. For whatever reason, I was getting a little down in the dumps the other day. My breaking point came as I was looking over several bills that came in the mail.

I was annoyed that they seemed high. I wondered aloud why our bills always seem to go up and never seem to go down. In my mind, I was the proverbial little man raising his right hand in a fist to God above. “Why me? What have I done to deserve this?”

I was still grouchy when my phone dinged letting me know that I had a text message. I ignored it for twenty minutes or so but then it dinged again. I had two new texts. Our daughter had sent a text asking if we would be around to chat later in the evening. Of course, we could talk. I couldn’t wait. On top of it, our middle son had texted us with the date and time when he’ll be flying in for a visit. The two messages couldn’t have come at better times.

I’m not a Pollyanna or blindly optimistic. I tend to see the positives and the negatives. I still had to pay the bill. I still had chores to do. However, the text messages were a nice reminder that there’s goodness all around us. We just have to open our eyes.

Here’s a few other positives that jumped out at me:

• I was reminded by something that Philadelphia Eagles Running Back Saquan Barkley said in the weeks leading up to the team’s recent Super Bowl win: “You can’t be great without the greatness of others.”
• “Underneath my outside face, there’s a face that none can see. A little less smiley, a little less sure, but a whole lot more like me.” —Shel Silverstein.
• There are two teens in my neighborhood who regularly play basketball on the street. I was on the phone with my wife the other day and happened to watch the two of them play. One went up for a shot and fell hard on the macadam. It was heartening to see the other teen run up to him and help him up.

• I saw this sign posted above the cash register at a local diner. “The most wonderful places to be in the world are: in someone’s thoughts, in someone’s prayers, and in someone’s heart.”
• Listening to music that touches our soul. I write this as I sing “Desperado” along with Glenn Fry and Don Henley from the Eagles.
• Watching the the beautiful dark red Cardinal that keeps visiting our deck. I keep trying to get a shot of him like fellow blogger E.A. Wickham on Bleuwater and her beautiful shots of Red, but I’m just not quick enough.
• Putting down a good book, excited to see where it goes next.

• I skimmed through an old journal and saw that I had written down these two quotes:
  • “Doing what you like is freedom. Liking what you do is happiness.” —Frank Tyger
  • “The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer someone else up.” —Mark Twain.
• A sunny day.
• I opened a Bible I have in a desk drawer and came to this yellow highlighted text: “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” —Romans 12:12

And then finally how about this one:

—A friend joked that she was having a great day: “My two goals today were to get out of bed and to drink coffee. I’ve done both, I’m killing it.”

Oh, I’ll be fine. I’m like most people, I have my ups and downs. It’s still good to be reminded of life’s goodness.

Here’s to a better week.

All images from Pexels.