Carpe Diem

How I turned a potentially bad day into a great day.

I woke up early this morning from a very bad nightmare. You know the ones where you are screaming and screaming in the dream but in reality you can’t move or make a sound? Yes, I woke up from one of those and my fiancé wasn’t in the bed next to me. I was stricken with panic, but luckily she was just getting dressed at the foot of the bed and was able to come help me calm down. I told her about the nightmare (She said it was a night terror) and I cried in her arms. Then I realized that she had to go to work (a 14 hour shift, so I would be alone all day) and I curled up in the bed and tried to fall back to sleep while I was still creeped out by the dream. I was able to get back to sleep, but I woke up feeling off and not in the best mood. I could just tell it was going to be a bad day for me.

I stumbled out of bed and made my way to the bathroom to brush my teeth and get ready for the day, but I was hit with a thought. Why did I decide to have a bad day? That’s Right, by resigning myself to having a bad day I was making a choice to go along with whatever the day had in store for me. I was not going to just sit by and let negative things happen to me all day long, I was going to take the fate of my day into my own hands and make it a good day. No, a Great Day!

With my new positive attitude I thought of things I’d like to do with my free time today. Besides the few chores I had to do such as washing and folding laundry, cleaning the litter box, and washing dishes, I had a nice chunk of free time to work with.

The first thing I did was call my fiancé and talk to her while she was at work. It’s always a great pick me up being able to talk to her, so I called and we talked for a few minutes. Feeling slightly invigorated, I looked around the room I was in and realized I hadn’t been wearing my wedding heals for a while. I am supposed to wear them a few times a week so I can get used to them before the wedding. Well, I pulled the box over to me and I put on my shoes and admired them. I love the way these heals make my legs and bum look sexy, and they make me so tall. Putting these on instantly changed my perspective by not only making me physically see everything from a different angle, but also because they make me feel attractive, and when you feel attractive you look attractive, and that helps improve your mood and your outlook on life.

With my heals on, I decided I’d make myself a special breakfast as a treat, so I clicked over to the stove and started making my new recipe for Peaches & Cream Oatmeal. It’s the much Healthier, Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free, Vegan version of the peaches & cream oatmeal that comes in those variety boxes of instant oatmeal. With my yummy and healthy breakfast in hand I sat outside on the back porch and enjoyed the peaceful morning. I don’t often get to relax and eat a leisurely breakfast because usually I have work or errands to do, so today I sat back and relaxed while enjoying the beautiful Autum-y weather we have been having recently.

Being outside made me want to go for a long walk since I have been too busy or too tired to go for a long walk this year, so I cleaned up my morning dishes and I changed into my workout clothes. I used to walk from our house to Horn Pond and walk around it and back. It’s about a 3-4 mile walk, but I haven’t had a chance to do it at all this year because of my new job and planning the wedding. So I got excited for the chance to go. ‘This was going to be fun!’ And after I said that to myself I realized, I have already changed my outlook on the whole day, just by doing a few simple things I had already turned a negative thought into a positive one!

It was getting close to lunchtime so I packed a picnic bento (a few of my favorite things, picnics and making bentos) and I went out for a 2 hour and 45 minute walk. While I was out I took my time to look at my surroundings and enjoy being in nature. I ended up taking a lot of pictures and taking a lot of paths/trails I have not taken before. It was amazing. The weather was warm and there was a wonderful breeze that just washed away all my cares and concerns.

 As I was heading home I noticed my brain/body urging me to move faster and get home sooner so I could get things done, but I stopped myself and took a few deep breaths. I ignored the urging to hurry up and I took my time. I kept telling myself ‘this is my time, and I do not need to rush home because I have plenty of time to get things done. They are not important at this very moment’. And instead of taking the quickest route home I took a path that was slightly longer but was more woodsy and away from the street. On the path I saw a small bunny with a white diamond on its forehead. I felt so blessed to have seen such a beautiful sight. I would have missed it if I had rushed home.

When I did get home I was getting hungry for dinner so I decided I’d make myself a big healthy dinner to round out my day. I wanted to try making an alternative bun/less burger, so I grabbed the eggplant that has been sitting in the refrigerator and I sliced it into thick pieces. I tossed them and my veggie burger on the grill and ended up making a super delicious, satisfying, and very filling dinner.

Anyway, I am now sitting and relaxing while writing this out because I wanted to share how my potentially bad day was turned into a wonderful day. All I did was change my attitude and slow down. It’s that easy. Instead of getting frustrated over my camera not working properly, I took my time to figure out how to fix the issue. Instead of stressing out over the unfinished chores, I took my time and I got to the chores when it was time for them (Right after I finish writing this.). Instead of complaining about being in pain from my long walk I did some stretches, took a Tylenol and I sat down to relax.

Now I realize that you cannot take a whole day off from life every time you feel stressed out. That is impractical and improbable. But what you can learn from this is to slow down and things will get done. If you are rushing to get things done they will not be done properly, and end up taking longer to fix it. Also, don’t resign yourself to having a bad day. If you expect bad things to happen, then they will happen. But if you start your day off expecting great things then great things are more likely to happen.

I hope my story inspires you to Seize the Day, and to be more Positive. :) Blessed Be!